During Those 7 Years
by legoman7861
Summary: When Natsu's injuries sustained in a recent guild brawl with Gray prevent him from participating in this year's S-Class exam, how will he cope with the inevitable future ahead of him without his closest and most powerful Nakama there to guide him every step of the way? More importantly, what does this mean for the future of the Fairy Tail Guild hall?
1. Chapter 1 - The Life Changing Injury

**Author's Note:** Natsu is left behind for the S-Class exams because of injuries sustained from a guild brawl with Gray. How will these injuries and what he learns from a certain scarlet haired mage impact him during the 7 years his closest Nakama are gone?

Welcome all to my newest Fanfiction, During Those 7 Years! If you couldn't tell by the title and description already, the plot will involve a split off from the S-Class exam.

I hope you enjoy what's to come!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter one: The Life Changing Injury**

"Unless you want to make your recovery process worse, I suggest you keep still." An old woman snarled from across the room.

"But I Have… To make… Him pay!" A pink haired mage argued as he attempted to free himself from his bed restraint.

"That's enough Natsu." An old man scolded from beside the mage. He was currently wearing an orange vest coupled with shorts of the same color. His attire was finished with a pair of brown crocks. "Porlyusica, how long will it take the lad's leg to fully recover?"

"He's lucky that his Dragon Slayer magic gives him extraordinary healing abilities. Give him a few days, and he'll be able to walk on it out of the infirmary."

"A FEW DAYS?! BUT I HAVE TO MAKE THAT ICE PRICK PAY NOW!" Natsu roared as he struggled even harder.

"I said that's enough Natsu! You should be thankful that your injury wasn't worse, considering we leave tomorrow on the S-Class exams. Your guild brawl with Gray nearly jeopardized your chances of participation."

"That's all the more reason to beat him to a pulp during the exam!"

" _Natsu, when are you going to grow up?"_ The old man groaned within his thoughts. "Fine, if that's what you desire, you'll need all the rest you can get before your body is pushed to its limits."

"Pushed to its limit?" Porlyusica raised her eyebrow in response as she began to tend to the medical cabinet besides Natsu's bed.

"Well of course, don't you remember when we first participated in the S-Class exams back when we were much younger? Team Makarov barely made it past the first round," The old Guild Master chuckled, "Anyways, we leave for Tenrou Island tomorrow morning. The trip takes an entire day and another day after that just to set up camp. By then, the young lad will be able to participate, according to you." Makarov concluded.

A few seconds passed before Porlyusica stopped tending to the medicine cabinet and responded. "If the Fairy Tail S-Class exams are still pushing its members to its limits… I'm afraid your unruly Dragon won't be able to participate."

A few seconds passed before Natsu broke the silence with a roar. " **WHAT DO YOU MEAN I WON'T BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE?! YOU SAID I WOULD BE ABLE TO WALK IN A FEW DAYS! AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING UNLUCKY?!** "

" **NATSU!"** Makarov boomed which simmered the Fire mage down. He continued to divert his attention to Porlyusica in concern. "Porlyusica, you said that the lad would be back to normal in a few days"

"First off, I said unruly, not unlucky." The old woman reluctantly began to uncover her ears. "Second, I never said that he would be 'back to normal' in a few days. All I promised is that he would be able to walk."

"What's the difference? As long as I'm able to use it I'm sure to win the S-Class exam!"

"You humans are all foolish. I said that you had remarkable healing capabilities, but did you even consider for a second about your own safety?" Porlyusica spoke with a serious tone

"She's right Natsu. You need to consider when you've done all you can and when you're outmatched. For some reason, that sounds like something Gildarts would have told you." Makarov agreed with Porlyusica with slight sadness in his voice as he feared the worst.

"What does that have anything to do with me participating in the S-Class exam?" Natsu began to raise his voice in annoyance.

"I think your old man is beginning to catch on to your situation." Porlyusica concluded from the sadness plastered across his face. "Your fracture will be healed enough to walk on it by the time the S-Class exam comes around. However, I never said anything about you being at peak performance by that time. You'll still need physical therapy to fully seal the fracture that was caused during your fight."

"Just give me the stupid therapy now and get it done with." Natsu groaned.

"Natsu, don't you think she would have already if she could?"

"Listen to the old coot for once. Your fracture is still too severe for me to begin therapy on it. You're going to have to wait until your leg is healed enough to walk on before I can continue. If you fail to heed my warning your fracture could become irreversible to the point where not even your magic will be able to cauterize it."

"No… That can't be true… This was the first year that I was nominated for the exam and you're telling me I won't be able to participate?" Natsu gritted through his clenched teeth. "Can't you move the date of the S-Class exam back a couple of days?"

"I'm sorry Natsu, but that isn't possible. This is the one time that all our S-Class mages will be together. Furthermore, you were the one who placed yourself in this situation in the first place. This could have been prevented if you never attacked Gray in the first place." Makarov stated sadly which crushed all hopes of him participating in the exam this year.

"I only did it because he was talking behind my back at the bar!"

"Then you need to learn to control your emotions. After all, that is one of the qualities of an S-Class mage." Makarov smiled slightly. Porlyusica then closed the medicine cabinet and handed a clear cup of liquid to Natsu, while loosening his restraints slightly to allow him to drink.

"Drink this." She stated before heading to the infirmary's door.

"What is it?"

"It's a painkiller for when your magic runs out. The only side effect is drowsiness, but considering the condition you're in, a good night's rest is what you need to replenish your magic. As I said before Makarov, the boy's leg will be ready for therapy in a couple of days. I'll be back to check up on him around the time you leave for the S-Class Exam.

"So I guess that's it." Natsu muttered under his breath as he reluctantly drank the liquid Porlyusica handed to him.

"Thank you for your help Porlyusica. Before you leave, would you mind calling Erza down here?" Makarov asked. Porlyusica simply nodded in response as she exited the infirmary.

Silence fell between the old Guild Master and the Dragon Slayer. Makarov wanted to comfort and express sympathy for Natsu's emotional pain, but decided not to as he concluded that the young Dragon Slayer's short minded nature would be blaming the Guild Master and his decision for being the factor that prevented him from participating in the S-Class exam.

A minute of silence passed between the two before they heard a knock against the infirmary's door. "Master, you called for me?" A voice was heard from the other side.

"Yes, come in Erza."

As the infirmary door opened, a red haired mage wearing a blue skirt and metallic breastplate entered the room. Master Makarov immediately stood up from his seat beside Natsu's bead and made his way towards the scarlet haired guild member. "Erza, I have a favor to ask of you. You're the only mage here at the moment who I feel would be appropriate to ask this."

"I understand. What is it that you wish to ask of me?"

"I need you to keep an eye on Natsu while I finalize parts of the upcoming S-Class exam."

"I'm more than willing to cooperate, but why not ask someone like Gray? As much as Natsu won't admit it, they're on par with each other in terms of magic potential." Erza knelt down to whisper the last part to the old Guild Master.

"I heard that!" Natsu growled as his enhanced hearing picked up what Erza whispered.

"Let's continue talking outside the infirmary." Makarov suggested as he led the scarlet haired mage back outside the door. "You can close it, just be sure to keep your voice down so we make sure he still can't hear us.

"Continue." Erza stated as she quietly shut the door behind her.

"Anyways, I can't trust those two to not get into another brawl with each other especially considering Natsu's condition."

"What do you mean, Master?" Erza pressed on.

"Natsu's injury is worse than I suspected. Long story short, he won't be able to go on the S-Class exam. He's probably blaming both Gray and me for being the reasons he won't be able to participate, so I was hoping that you would be able to take over for me right now while I go and finalize those details I was talking about." Makarov continued his whisper.

"Consider it done. I have one question, however. Please don't take this the wrong way, but how do you know that Natsu won't give me trouble?"

"I don't. But it's very unlikely he will- he has no reason to. He's upset at Gray and me. As long as you don't mention us, he shouldn't give you trouble. Anyways, Porlyusica gave the young lad painkillers before she left and said that the side effect was drowsiness. He'll fall asleep shortly and will be out cold until morning. Mirajane and the others can then come to visit him before we leave for the exam if he's feeling in the mood to. Thank you again Erza." The Old Guild Master smiled and used his Giant Magic to reach up to Erza and pat her on the shoulder.

"It's the least I can do considering how hectic the next couple of days will be. I'll let you get back to your work now. Goodnight Master. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Erza." Makarov sighed in relief as he walked up the staircase to the guild and the scarlet haired mage turned to reenter the infirmary.

As Erza quietly shut the door behind her, she made her way next to Natsu's bed and sat down. A couple seconds of agonizing silence fell between the two before she took the initiative to break it with the most ridiculous question. "How are you feeling?"

Natsu turned his head in awe to face her and sarcastically stated, "I'm feeling great! I just fractured my leg and learned that I won't be participating in the S-Class exams. Did I mention this was the one year gramps nominated me?"

"I'm sorry, but the silence was just driving me insane." She chuckled.

"It doesn't matter anyways. Porlyusica said the painkillers she gave me will put me to sleep in a bit so you won't have to be here long."

"Did I ever say I didn't want to be here? Honestly Natsu, stop jumping to conclusions all the time." The scarlet haired mage said as she crossed her legs.

"For now, that's all I will be able to do."

"That's the case if you only view the situation you're in from one angle. If you want to talk about what you're feeling, I'm more than happy to listen." Erza suggested as she noticed the pain and hostility within the young Dragon Slayer's voice.

"What other way am I supposed to view this situation? It's over and there's nothing I can do about it. The only thing I can do in my situation is sit here like the useless sack of crap and watch as one of my guildmates, POSSIBLY GRAY FOR THAT MATTER, get one step ahead of me. I mean, it's like gramps doesn't even care that I'm lying down here and able to do absolutely nothing. He said it himself; I just don't have some of the requirements to be an S-Class mage. That's the only way to see my situation right now!" Natsu yelled in annoyance.

"Natsu…" Erza gasped in shock. "Please, just promise to hear me out until the end?"

"Its not like I can just walk out of here." He huffed in response.

"First off, Master Makarov cares deeply about you. He cares about everyone if Fairy Tail that way. If he didn't, he wouldn't have told me to be here with you." She smiled.

"Then why did he just get up and leave?"

"It might not seem like he cares right now, but he's constantly worried about your safety. He needed to leave in order to finalize some things concerning the S-Class exam."

"Alright… But that doesn't change the fact that I can't do anything about the situation I'm in right now. The S-Class exam is going to happen whether or not I'm able to participate."

"That's true, but I know what it's like to feel helpless."

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW HOW I FEEL RIGHT NOW?" Natsu yelled in annoyance.

"NATSU! JUST LISTEN FOR ONCE!" She yelled back in response. "Remember when I told you about me being held prisoner in the Tower of Heaven?

"I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Do you remember how I escaped?" Erza continued ignoring his last remark. A few seconds passed before Natsu formed a response.

"Didn't you lead a revolt so you could rescue Jellal since he was captured by some prison guards for protecting you?"

"Perhaps I should have worded my question differently. Do you know why I'm trying to relate to you with this?"

"If I did I wouldn't have yelled at you." Natsu groaned in annoyance.

"I felt useless throughout that revolt because I wasn't able to save two of my closest friends."

Natsu's eyes widened slightly at Erza's change in tone. He wasn't expecting such a serious response and could tell the general direction where their conversation was heading.

"One of them is locked up in Fiore's maximum security prison. The other sacrificed his life in order to save me. The day I led that revolt, Rob used his Fire Magic to absorb an incoming attack that would have killed me if it wasn't for his sacrifice."

"Wasn't Rob gramp's-"

"Yes, Rob was one of Master Makarov's Team Members from when they were younger. After Rob was killed, I felt that the only reason he had to make that sacrifice was because I wasn't strong enough to protect him myself."

"I'm guessing that the person locked up in Fiore's maximum security prison is Jellal?"

"Yes, I also blamed myself for not having the strength and courage to save Jellal. When I finally confronted him, I needed for him to cheer me up like he always would. The least I could have done was rescue him so I knew that Rob's death wasn't in vain. However, I was too late. By the time I came to free him from the captivity of Zeref's followers, he was already brainwashed by their dark magic. He forced me to leave the Tower of Heaven while he used the rest of the prisoners to complete Zeref's will. Up until recently, a thought that has always resided within the back of my mind was how useless I was for not being able to save two of my closest friends. Remember that Jellal was locked up when the Magic Council was able to track down his location when we defeated Nirvana."

"Erza… Aren't you sad? I made a promise to Simon to never let you cry again so if you have any doubt at all, tell me." Natsu asked concerned as he heard Erza recount her tales.

"Under normal circumstances, I would be sad, but as I said before, I was recently able to get over feeling like I could have saved Rob and Jellal if it weren't for me being useless." Erza chuckled at his antics.

"So? What helped you get over it?" Natsu asked in an eager tone hoping that Erza's response would help his current predicament.

"At the time of me being captured by Jellal, I thought that Simon's death was the reason. I felt as though the only reason to repay him for his sacrifice, or anyone else's for that matter, was to commit to the same sacrifice that they had. However, I was wrong. The real reason was you, Natsu." Erza smiled up at him.

"Me?"

"Don't you remember what I told you on the resort beach when you saved me from sacrificing myself to the tower of heaven?"

"I think so. You told me that you shouldn't die for your friends, but live for them." Natsu finished as his eyes widened in realization.

"There's your answer." Erza finished as she sat back in her seat. "You made me realize that all that time, I wasn't useless: that the sacrifices that Rob and Simon made for me were so I could live on in their places."

"What about Jellal? When the Magic Council locked him up, how did you get over that?"

"I realized that that was what Jellal wanted. He realized that spending time in prison was the only way he could repay for his crimes, so I supported his decision even though I didn't agree with it." Erza nodded. "What I'm trying to say is that Simon and Rob sacrificed them self for a reason. It wasn't until you made me realize that they sacrificed them self so I could live on with them in my heart did I realize they did so with reason. Does this all make sense Natsu?"

"So you're telling me I'm supposed to be in an infirmary bed while my guildmates surpass me?" Natsu groaned angrily.

"In a nutshell, that's the path you've been led down. As I said before, just approach it from another angle. I mean, I don't go around everyday thinking that Rob and Simon are dead. I remember that I live on because of them."

"I still don't understand how that's supposed to help me get passed what's in front of my eyes." Natsu stated with frustration.

"And that's perfectly fine. You will one day." Erza reassured him with a hopeful smile.

"When will that be?"

"It could be today, tomorrow, or it might take years like me."

"I really hope it doesn't take that long." Natsu's head hung his head in sadness. "Can you promise me one thing?"

"Of course I can." Erza replied.

"I'm not going to forgive Gray that easily. He was talking behind my back and I still think he's the reason that I can't go on the S-Class exam. It's not like I can do anything about it now, but if you end up facing him, kick his ass for me." Natsu finished as his eyes flared up.

"I'll give him hell Natsu. But remember, this could have been prevented in the first place if you didn't attack Gray in anger." Erza chuckled.

"Erza, if I was talking bad about you behind your back would you honestly say you would ignore me?" Natsu asked seriously. A few seconds of silence passed before he spoke again. "I thought so."

Erza realized Natsu was right. After all, it was instinct for members of Fairy Tail to protect their pride.

"What did he say about you that made you so mad in the first place?" She finally asked.

"Stripper said that Igneel wasn't real."

"Again?" Erza sighed

"Igneel was my father. Saying he wasn't real is like saying Rob or Simon wasn't real either. Considering both of them paid the ultimate price for you to live on, do you understand how it feels for me when Gray constantly says that Igneel doesn't exist?" Natsu's face darkened.

"Natsu… You always tell our team about how much Igneel meant to you, but it never crossed me that you live in memory of him. I've always thought of you as someone who would search to the end of Earthland in order to find him again."

"Both of those are true, but Igneel is the reason that I'm even in Fairy Tail today which is why I'm so emotionally attached to him." Natsu meekly smiled. "Hey Erza? I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Erza cocked her eyebrow.

"For saying that you couldn't relate to me. Gramps was right; I do need to control my emotions sometimes." He said with a yawn.

"All in due time." Erza smiled as she patted his shoulder. "Those painkillers must be taking their toll. I'll let you get some rest now. If you need anything before going asleep, I'm right here." Erza finished as she leaned back in her chair.

"Goodnight Erza." Natsu finished before closing his eyes.

"Goodnight Natsu." Erza replied. She continued to lean back in her chair and kept herself occupied by occasionally requiping an array of swords and polished them one by one. After 30 minutes had passed, she called out Natsu's name to make sure that he was asleep. "Natsu…. Natsu?" Erza whispered only to be met with silence. She continued to carefully get up from her seat and proceed towards the infirmary's door in hopes that Natsu's enhanced hearing didn't pick up her movements. Just as she was about to close the door, she whispered, "Just remember, even during the most hopeless of times, your future might just be around the corner," before heading back up the stairs to the guild hall.

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	2. Chapter 2 - Farewell

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter two: Farewell**

"Hey Mira? Do you have any Strawberry Lemonade?" A scarlet haired mage asked while taking a seat at the bar.

"Of course! I'll have it ready in a minute." Mirajane replied to Erza as she fetched a clean glass. "If you don't mind me asking, what'd Master Makarov call you to the infirmary for?"

"He needed to finalize some things for the S-Class exam and wanted me to watch over Natsu in the meantime."

"Speaking of Natsu, is he going to be alright? It looked like he was seriously hurt from that brawl. Gray went a bit overboard if you ask me. There was no reason for him to slam Natsu's leg with that Ice Hammer of his. I mean, it's a hammer, it's going to do a fair amount of damage. Gray could have used any other spell and he would have still won against him." Mirajane asked concerned as she slid Erza her Strawberry Lemonade.

"I fully agree with you." Erza paused to sip her cold beverage. "But Natsu is making a steady recovery and that's the most important thing as of now. As for Gray, he's treading on thin water in my book. I wouldn't wish the emotional pain that he caused Natsu on even the darkest of mages."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'emotional pain?' I thought you said that Natsu was making a steady recovery! Did something else happen?" Mirajane asked worried as she pressed herself against the counter.

"Hold on, It's best that I made an announcement to the rest of the guild before we end up closing." Erza drank the rest of her Lemonade before standing up from her barstool to approach the stage on the other side of the guild hall. As she stood in the middle of the portion of raised platform, many of the random guild members began to quiet down as it was rare for the scarlet haired mage to make an announcement.

In fact, the majority of the guild members were talking about the same subject: _"What happened to Natsu?"_

"Thank you all for quieting down. I didn't want to resort to violence." Erza stated causing all the members to sweat drop. "As many of you already know, Natsu's recent rivalry with Gray landed him in the infirmary. He's making a steady recovery and I'm sure he'll be out of the infirmary in a couple of days." Erza reassured her guildmates Natsu's safety as she took into account the collective sigh of relief.

"So we were all worried for nothing." Mirajane smiled from the bar.

"I wasn't finished yet Mira." Erza paused before continuing. "I don't know a light way to put it… But Natsu's injuries prevent him from going on the S-Class exams with us this year."

The entire guild was speechless at the harsh truth the scarlet haired mage delivered. All the members knew that Natsu was injured in his brawl with Gray, but no one expected his injuries to prevent him from carrying out one of his lifelong dreams. A couple seconds passed by before someone formed a response.

"Wait… So is that what you meant by 'emotional pain?'" Mirajane stuttered in disbelief.

"Yes. Natsu hasn't been taking this news lightly. This was the one year that he was nominated for the exams and he isn't able to participate. He feels completely useless and is borderline heartbroken to say the least." Erza stated with sadness as she remembered the conversation she had with Natsu.

"Why don't we just tell Master Makarov to move the S-Class exams back a couple of days so Natsu can get more time to heal!" Lucy suggested from Team Natsu's table.

"Yea Erza! We should go tell Master right now!" Happy chimed in.

"I wish I could move the S-Class exams, but that's just not possible." A new voice resonated from Fairy Tail's second floor before Erza could respond. As many of the guild members raised their heads to see who spoke, they saw Master Makarov standing on the rail separating them as he recently left his office. "This is the one time that all of our S-Class mages will be together and I need all of them to help with tasks."

"Master Makarov, I assume you're done finalizing everything for the S-Class exams?" Erza questioned.

"Yes, I am, thank you for your concern Erza. It's probably best if I clarify Natsu's situation." The short Guild Master said as he leaped to the stage from his position before continuing. "Porlyusica confirmed that Natsu will be able to walk again in a few days."

"Then I don't see the problem since we could always just pull Natsu along in a wheelchair until then." Happy said with hope. "So why can't we?"

"If that was the case then Erza wouldn't have said that Natsu isn't able to come with us on the S-Class exam." Gildarts sighed from the bar's counter.

"He has a point." Macao frowned as he could tell where this was going.

"Gildarts is right." Master Makarov stated. "You see, when Natsu was hit by Gray's Ice Hammer, his leg was fractured in the process. His Dragon Slayer magic gives him remarkable healing abilities, but he still won't be able to fully heal by the time the exam starts. Even after he's able to walk again, Porlyusica still has to treat him with physical therapy before he can continue any rigorous activity. If Natsu tries to push his leg too hard before he is fully healed, the damage may be irreversible." The old Guild Master cringed as a wave of silence fell upon the guild.

"You're joking." Macao whispered as he lowered his head. Ever since Natsu was little, the pink haired mage would always tell him about how he wanted to become an S-Class mage so he could find Igneel again. If Natsu didn't deserve this opportunity, no one else did either which only lowered Macao's mood.

Other guild members were just shocked at the drastic turn of events for the young Dragon Slayer.

"If… If that's the case, what should I do since Natsu isn't my partner anymore?" Happy began to cry slightly at the misfortune his foster father had encountered.

"I know that you would rather stay with Natsu, but if you wouldn't mind, I would prefer if you accompanied us on the S-Class exam. Since you can use your magic to fly, would you be willing to scout Tenrou Island for me during the exam just to make sure everything is in order?" Makarov offered to cheer the young exceed up.

"Aye sir!" Happy smiled slightly.

"Thank you Happy." Master Makarov smiled before changing the subject. "On the other hand, the reason I came out here was to remind those who are participating in the S-Class exam that we leave for Tenrou Island tomorrow morning. You are expected to arrive here promptly when the guild first opens. Until then, I suggest you all go home and rest up for tomorrow." Master Makarov stated as he made his way back to the second floor of the guild. "I'll see you all in the morning my children." Master Makarov smiled before reentering his office.

Before the guild members could start murmuring amongst themselves, a white haired mage began to speak. "Can we at least see Natsu before we leave?" Lisanna asked as she was worried about her childhood friend.

"Yea! I want to go tell him about how I'm going to help Master out during the S-Class exam!" Happy chirped.

"Natsu just fell asleep so we should let him get some rest for now. If he's feeling in the mood to talk to SOME OF YOU when he wakes up tomorrow," Erza shifted her attention to Gray who was sitting in front of her with the rest of Team Natsu, "Then maybe Master Makarov can let you see him before we depart."

"I don't know why you're looking at me like that. It's not my fault that Natsu attacked me for no reason. He can blame me for the reason that he can't go on the S-Class exam, but I sure as hell don't give a rat's second chance."

"Gray, I know you have a rivalry with Natsu, but you went too far in your guild brawl with him."

"The idiot deserved what came to him for attacking me for no reason."

Erza had enough considering the emotional conversation she had with Natsu. Before Gray could continue, Erza darted towards the black haired mage. " _ **Requip!**_ " She yelled as a metallic sword formed in her hands. Within a fraction of a second, the scarlet haired mage pointed her sword's tip mere inches from Gray's face causing everyone in the entire Fairy Tail guild to gasp and stare in awe.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Gray yelled as he reeled backwards only to be pressed against the table he sat at.

"Erza! Calm down right now!" Gildarts shouted as he bolted to the scene with Macao and Wakaba at his side.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him… Yet." The scarlet haired mage muttered towards Gildarts before directing her attention back to Gray. "You will apologize to Natsu for insulting him and talking behind his back. I don't think you have the slightest idea of the amount of emotional pain you have caused him because of your short minded actions."

"Wait… Huh- How did you know I was talking behind his back?"

"Did you honestly forget that easily? Natsu's a Dragon Slayer. He can hear every word that comes out of your mouth from across the guild. He told me everything when I was looking after him in the infirmary!"

"Wait, so Natsu didn't attack Gray for nothing?" The entirety of the guild began to question.

"That is correct. Why don't you tell everyone why Natsu attacked you Gray?" Erza urged the black haired mage by closing the distance her sword was from his neck.

"What do you mean 'why he attacked me?' How the hell should I know what goes through that idiot's brain?"

"Stop trying to act like the victim here. Let me rephrase my question so you can't avoid it, what did you say about Natsu to the other guild members?"

Seconds of silence was all that the guild needed to know that Gray knew something that the rest of them didn't. "I think told them something about Igneel not being real." Gray tried to act confused

"WRONG! You KNOW that you told them that Igneel wasn't real." Erza snarled.

"But Erza, Gray teases Natsu about Igneel's existence all the time." Lucy said from besides her. "I'm not trying to support sides, but I'm just curious why this matters so much to you all of a sudden."

"I wouldn't be talking to Gray right now if this was a normal situation. If he were just teasing Natsu this time around, he wouldn't have whispered it under his breath to other guild members." Erza said. "Gray, don't make me ask again for you to apologize to him. Natsu won't admit it, but he's jealous that you have the opportunity to possibly become an S-Class mage when he no longer does. Not only that, but insulting Natsu's father who he lives on in memory of is no laughing matter."

The majority of the guild hall began to side with Erza. She had a point after all. If Gray was only teasing Natsu, there wouldn't have been a reason for him to talk behind his back. He could have just said it to his face like the countless other times he has. The real question was why did Natsu risk putting himself in the infirmary the day before the S-Class exams.

"That still doesn't make any fucking sense. Can't he just learn to ignore me? I say this crap all the time and he still can't take a hint!"

"This is not about whether or not he could ignore you, it is about trust!" Erza shouted which caused Gray's eyes to widen

"What… What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about Ur!" Erza shouted. "Natsu realized that he could relate to you because of Ur who sacrificed her life so you could live on in her place. Consider this, if you were in Natsu's shoes and you heard him saying that Ur doesn't exist behind your back, how would that make you feel knowing that you know damn well she payed the ultimate price for your safety?"

"Erza I think that's going too far. Ur sacrificed her life fighting against Deliora while Igneel vanished seven years ago along with Metalicana and Grandeeney. They're completely differen- "

"No Lucy… She's right. Natsu has every right to blame me for not being able to go on the S-Class exam." Gray slightly gripped Erza's sword and lowered it slightly as he gritted his teeth. "I not only betrayed his trust and hurt Igneel's legacy, but because he was only trying to defend his father, he ended up getting hurt because of my actions and can't go on the S-Class exam. If I was in Natsu's situation and heard him talking about Ur behind my back, I can't say I would have let him walk away easily."

The entire guild reflected over what the black haired mage said. Each and every one of the members knew it was instinct to defend their pride as apart of the Fairy Tail Guild hall and many began to smile at the scene unfold. Gray was slowly beginning to accept the reality of the situation.

"Don't worry Erza, I'll apologize for fracturing his leg. I was wrong. He does have a reason to be angry with me."

"So what is it you're sorry for?" Erza said skeptically as she didn't draw from her stance.

"I'm going to apologize to Natsu for betraying his trust and because it's my fault he can't go on the S-Class exam. I said something behind his back that I wouldn't want to be said about me and he's the one getting punished for defending himself. Not only that… But I would also want to apologize to Wendy and Gajeel or any other person in this guild for possibly thinking it was alright for me to talk about another person's loved ones behind their backs. Even if it had for me to believe at times that Dragon Slayers were raised by actual dragons, it might be just as hard for you to believe that Ur sacrificed herself to prevent a demon from destroying Fiore."

This caused Wendy who was sitting right across from Gray to blush. "Th- Thank you Gray."

Gajeel on the other hand smirked from the back corner of the guild. "At least you've got the guts to admit you're wrong." He called out.

"I wasn't finished yet." Gray stated. "I also shouldn't have chosen to resort to violence. Natsu would still be going with us on the S-Class exam if only I didn't fight back."

As Gray finished, Erza slowly lowered her sword as she could detect the regret and honesty in his voice.

"You don't need to apologize for that last part." Erza said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you mean? I got carried away. If Natsu doesn't deserve to be an S-Class mage because he lets his emotions get the better of him, then I sure as hell don't deserve to be one either." Gray chuckled.

"You did let your emotions get the better of you, but you had reason to believe that you were being attacked for nothing and at the end of the day, Fairy Tail mages protect their pride which is all you were trying to do. Plus, if you needed to apologize for getting into a rivalry with Natsu, Mira and I would have to do the same." Erza chuckled towards the white haired barmaid who watched the spectacle unfold from behind the counter. As the guild's atmosphere began to lighten up, Macao left Gildarts to go relax back into his seat at the bar. But before another rowdy guild party could resume again, Gildarts spoke out from Team Natsu's table.

"Alright! I know we're all happy that the situation was sorted out, but you all heard Master Makarov! He suggested we get a good night's sleep before we leave for Tenrou Island tomorrow. You can party all day tomorrow when we leave."

"He's right. It's best if we call it a day and pick up here tomorrow. When Natsu wakes up, you're ALL welcome to say goodbye to him before we leave." Erza directed most of her speech towards Gray as she smiled.

As Gray returned the friendly gesture, the entire Fairy Tail Guild was more than satisfied with the outcome of the event that unfolded and decided to retire for the night after saying their goodbyes as their Guild Master suggested. After all, tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

Scene Change – The Next Day

As Master Makarov instructed, the entire Tenrou group was present inside the guild hall first thing in the morning wrapping up the tasks needed to be completed before they departed. Many of whom wanted to wish Natsu words of encouragement before they left.

Natsu laid on his back on his infirmary bed as he heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" He yelled across the room as he sat up from his position.

"Hey Natsu. Did you sleep well?" A feminine voice chanted as she stuck her head through the door's crack.

"Hi Mira! I actually slept really well even though my leg is all bandaged up." Natsu replied as Mira walked into the infirmary with a tray of food while closing the door behind her.

"I brought you some breakfast."

"No! Get that stuff away from me!" Natsu commanded as he hid his face with a pillow he found beside him.

"Natsu, are you sure you slept well? Since when are you not hungry?" Mira laughed

"I don't care if you have to force me, there's no way in hell I'm eating that infirmary food."

"Oh this? Don't worry! I made this at the bar while the rest of the Tenrou group was eating so you don't have to suffer from the rations Porlyusica feeds you here." Mira smiled as she approached Natsu's bed with the tray and sat down next to him.

"But… I don't have any money on me."

"I told you not to worry about it. Just eat." She instructed as she placed the tray on his lap.

Natsu observed the warm food on his tray that was recently prepared. A large cooked steak, multiple pieces of bacon, chicken, French Toast lathered in syrup and butter, three over easy eggs, sausages, hash browns on the side, scoops of ice cream, and a large cup of orange juice to wash it all down. "You're… You're an angel!" Natsu cried tears of joy causing Mira to smile sweetly.

"Hey Natsu, aren't you angry that you can't participate in the S-Class exams this year?" Mira reluctantly asked hoping she wouldn't ruin the young Dragon Slayer's mood.

"I was, but then Erza was able to cheer me up yesterday before I fell asleep." Natsu smiled as he began to cram down his breakfast.

"I'm glad she was able to!" Mirajane giggled at Natsu's messy eating habit.

"Mph- Anyways, what made you decide to bring me food?" Natsu continued to stuff his face.

"I thought you needed something to cheer you up since I thought you were for not only being able to go on the S-Class exam."

Natsu immediately stopped filling his mouth as guilt washed over him. "Wow Mira… Thanks for thinking about me." He finished by slowly swallowing down whatever food was already in his mouth.

"Don't mention it! You're going to have to go a couple of days without my cooking so you might as well have something good to eat before then." Mirajane began to blush slightly.

"Not unless I marry you. Then you'll have to cook for me every day I come home from the guild." Natsu joshed with the barmaid. Mirajane's face turned a blistering red which thankfully went unnoticed by Natsu as he began to devour more of his food.

"Suh- So what do you plan on doing now that you're not able to go on the S-Class exams with us?" Mirajane stuttered as her composure started to return. Silence fell between the two mages before Natsu responded.

"Honestly… I haven't really given it much thought. Training for the exam has taken up so much of my time lately that all I've been able to think about was finally becoming an S-Class mage."

"I'm sure you'll find something to keep you occupied once the exams are over." Mirajane smiled.

"I know I will. It's like Erza said! There's a reason I can't come with you guys on the exam. Maybe it's just not my time to become an S-Class mage or maybe I just need to approach my situation from a new angle. It could be today, tomorrow, or it might even take years like her before I realize that reason. All I know is that I can't act like I'm a useless sack of crap right now just because there's no reason for me to see right now. That's not going to magically help my leg get better." Natsu finished by letting out a large burp and placing his empty tray next to his bed.

Mirajane was speechless to say the least. She couldn't even laugh at Natsu's eating habits. _"Did… Did Natsu just say something smart?"_ She thought. Before she could comment on what Natsu said, a knock came from the infirmary door which snapped the white haired bard maid out of her trance.

"Come in!" The duo yelled in unison. Without hesitation, the door burst open as a blue blur flew across the room followed by Master Makarov and Natsu's closest friends.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled as he charged into his foster father's lap.

"Hey Buddy! How're you doing?" He asked as he stroked the young exceeds fur.

"Guess what? Master Makarov needs me to go with him on the S-Class exam so he can have me scout Tenrou Island and make sure everything is going as planned! I mean, only if it's okay for me to."

"Of course you can go! I won't be going fishing any time while you're on the S-Class exam because of my leg." Natsu frowned.

"We all wanted to say bye before we left, but Erza wouldn't let us come visit you until we fully loaded the ships, took roll, and checked the first aid inventory." Happy tried to raise Natsu's mood.

"That's Erza for you!" Natsu replied in Happy's joyous tone. During his embrace with Happy, he failed to notice a certain black haired mage approach his bed.

"Umm… Hey Natsu… Are you feeling any better?" Gray reluctantly asked. However, the reaction from Natsu completely shocked him as well as the rest of the Tenrou group.

"Hey Gray! I'm feeling a shit ton better! Do you think you're ready for the S-Class exams?" Natsu said as happy flew back to the Tenrou group.

"I mean… I should be." Seconds passed before Gray continued. "Aren't… Aren't you mad that you can't go on the S-Class exam?"

"Yea it sucks that I can't go and it's not like I'm going to forgive you easily for talking behind my back. But It's like Erza said. I've got to learn to control my emotions. I've only got myself to blame for not being able to come with you guys this year." Natsu sighed as he remembered Master Makarov talking to him about the specific requirements for an S-Class mage.

"No Natsu. It's my fault that you're not able to go on the S-Class exam and you have every right to be mad at me. I talked behind your back and you were only trying to defend yourself. You wanted to vent your anger because you trusted me and thought that we could relate to each other considering both our masters raised us up until they left. When I said that Igneel didn't exist behind your back… That would have been no different than if you said that Ur didn't exist. Natsu, I'm sorry that my short minded action prevented you from coming with us on the S-Class exams." Gray finished with full sincerity.

"You… You mean it?" Natsu stuttered.

"For once, I actually do. What I said to you made me realize that anyone could have said the same thing about Ur. If someone told me that she didn't exist, I can't say that I would just let that slide. You were only trying to defend your pride as a Fairy Tail mage and you were punished because of it. If you could believe it and maybe one day even forgive me, just know that I'm… I'm sorry." Gray finished as the guild members present smiled at

"Who are you and what have you done with Gray?" Master Makarov joked from below the black haired mage.

A silence fell among the Tenrou group as everyone turned to Natsu as they awaited a response. "I'll still need some time to fully get over not being able to go on the exam and find my new purpose in life. But… Thank you for the apology." Natsu smiled.

"Hey, it's a start." Gray sighed in relief.

"Don't let your guard down just yet Ice Pop! Erza promised me that she's going to kick your ass during the exams so there's no way you're becoming an S-Class m age before me."

"We'll just have to see Pyro." Gray smirked at his rival.

"It's nice to see things are back to the way they were. However, I must inform you that we need to be departing to Tenrou Island if we want to be there before we're caught traveling while it's dark."

"Already?" Lucy stated with shock towards the old Guild Master.

"Unfortunately, it's about that time." Master Makarov said as he walked up to Natsu's bed. "Natsu, I left Macao in charge of the guild until we get back. Porlyusica will stop by every morning around this time to treat your leg. I've told her, Macao, Wakaba, Kinana, and Laki to occasionally check up on you until you've fully recovered. Now that you're feeling a bit better about not being able to go on the S-Class exams, you can keep this instead of someone having to watch over you." Master Makarov finished as he handed Natsu a crystal sphere.

"A Lacrima?"

"Yes. If you need anything, hold onto it and you'll be able to transmit your thoughts to either one of those five that I mentioned. And don't hesitate to use it if you need anything. They all volunteered to help you recover an are there if you need them."

"Is that it?"

"That's it." Mater Makarov said as he gripped Natsu' hand besides his bed. "I'll see you soon my child." Makarov started to tear up slightly.

"Whatever you say gramps." Natsu showed him a toothy smile as Makarov's face told him all he needed to need. _"He… He really does care about me."_

As Master Makarov led the rest of Natsu's visitors towards the door, he turned back to the young Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu, please remember what Porlyusica said. Even after you're able to walk, no pushing your body until your leg has underwent physical therapy. That means no using spells until she tells you that it's okay to."

"Whatever you say gramps." Natsu groaned.

"He means it Natsu. Don't think that I won't come back here and teach you a lesson. I'm not afraid to drag Erza with me also." Gildarts jokingly threatened causing the Dragon Slayer to hide himself with his pillow again.

"Anyways, we'll be back real soon Natsu. If you start to feel down, just remember what I told you." Erza smiled.

"You better be ready for when I get back Flame Brain. You're going to have to respect me when I'm an S-Class mage." Gray smirked. Gajeel simply laughed at this as he could hardly take Gray seriously.

"We'll miss you while we're away!" The Strauss sisters tightly hugged Natsu before heading to the door.

"Hugging is MANLY!" Elman roared.

"You better bring me back something from Tenrou Island Wendy!" Natsu joked towards the blue haired mage.

"Oh… Um… I hope you get better Natsu!" She blushed brightly as Carla simply groaned at her antics from her shoulder.

"And what about you Lucy? What's going to happen when I'm not there to save you and Cana during the exam?"

"Shut up Natsu." She pouted causing everyone to laugh.

A couple more seconds of tearful farewells passed before Master Makarov opened the infirmary's door signaling the Tenrou group that it was time to leave. "Alright. It's time to go my children." Makarov softly instructed the group out the door.

"Th- Thanks you guys!" Natsu's eyes started to tear up slightly as he still couldn't believe his closest friends were about to leave him all by himself over the next few days.

As a last second gesture, the old master held his right hand high above his head with his thumb and index finger exposed. This caused many of the Tenrou group members to go teary eyed as they replicated the same action on the other side of the door frame.

With that, Master Makarov returned one last smile towards the young Dragon Slayer before being the last member of the Tenrou group to exit the room. He turned back around in order to close the infirmary's door behind him. The entire time the old Guild Master had a teary smile plastered across his face. As the sound of the infirmary's door closing resounded throughout the room leaving a teary eyed Dragon Slayer with his thumb and middle finger still exposed, Natsu had no idea that this would be the last time he would see the majority of his Nakama for the next seven years.

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	3. Chapter 3 - Fate of the Tenrou Group

**Author's Note:** To me,this chapter felt REALLY rushed for some reason. The chapter might seem near pointless, but I encourage you all to read the second Author's Note towards the end as it gives you a hint to what the reason is for me including it. Just remember, if it's in this story; it has purpose. If you want to figure the reason out for yourself, then don't read the second Author's Note. It doesn't have any direct spoilers, but it might spoil the foreshadowing (if that even makes sense).

Lastly, this is finals week for college which means that there won't be an update for a fair amount of days. However, I look forward to posting new chapters over my Christmas Break once I've completed my courses! Regardless, next chapter is going to be much more entertaining in terms of plot progression (and hopefully a helluva lot longer considering what goes down in this chapter). Hope to see you then!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter three: Fate of the Tenrou group**

As Porlyusica expected, Natsu was making a remarkable recovery ever since he fractured his leg. Natsu rarely used the Lacrima that Master Makarov gave him which surprised those who volunteered to help him. It was even more ironic that night time was the time of day that Natsu had yet to use the Lacrima considering everyone left the guild at that time. Porlyusica still checked up on the young Dragon Slayer every morning to ensure that his leg continued to make a steady recovery.

"Hey Porlyusica? Why aren't you a member of Fairy Tail anymore?" Natsu sat up from his bed to speak to the woman sitting in the chair beside him. The pink haired woman began to rewrap Natsu's leg in a new layer of bandages as she just completed his first physical therapy session.

"What makes you think I'm not?" The pink haired elder sighed at Natsu as she finished rewrapping his bandages only to fiddle with a metallic object besides her.

"I mean, you never stop by to visit. Did gramps break up with you or something?"

"WHAT!" The woman shrieked causing the young Dragon Slayer to reflexively cover his sensitive ears. "LIKE HELL I DATED THAT OLD PERVERT!"

"Alright I get it! Sheesh!" He responded.

Porlyusica began to calm herself down before speaking to Natsu again. "Let me ask you this boy, is Gildarts apart of your guild?"

"Well of course he is!" Natsu defended the S-Class mage.

"Then just because some of your members rarely visit doesn't make them less important than the ones you see on an everyday basis. Master Makarov tells me that Gildarts rarely stops by so does that not make him a Fairy Tail member?" Porlyusica stated bluntly.

"I guess you're right…" Natsu responded before thinking to himself. " _Just because some of your members rarely visit doesn't make them less important than the ones you see on an everyday basis."_ He recited in his mind. His thoughts were interrupted as Porlyusica continued tending to the metallic object in her hand. "What are you doing anyways? You finished checking up on me for the day so I thought you planned on going home since you hate being around humans."

"That's true, but if that old coot taught me anything while I was on his team when we were younger, it's that guild mates don't abandon each other in need." She smiled softly. "You've also proven to me over the past few days that you're beginning to get over not going on the S-Class exams. So, I'm making you a pair of crutches so that you can go visit your friends upstairs."

Natsu immediately threw the covers off his body. "Really?! I can go up to the guild?!" He spoke in awe.

"Only under a few conditions. I'm going to tell your friends that if they see you so much as tap the ground with the toe of your injured foot, you're coming right back down here. Second, if you feel even the slightest bit of fatigue, I'm going to leave a wheel chair upstairs for you to sit on. Other than that, you'll be able to see your friends when I'm done making these."

"Porlyusica thank you so much!" Natsu began to bow repeatedly from his bed. "But… Didn't you say I could walk in a few days?" He slowly began to frown.

"That's one of the reason I'm giving you these crutches. I did promise you that you could walk on your leg in a few days. The truth is, I don't want you thinking that you're able to walk on it and end up causing any reversible damage. I want to make sure your leg is fully healed before you end up putting any sort of stress on it. All the same rules apply for now. Absolutely no walking on that injured leg of yours. Think of it as being cautious." She stated as she continued to work on the crutches. "Makarov said he would be back in a few days. Did he ever give you a specific day?" The old woman digressed from the topic at hand.

"Gramps left three days ago. He said it would take the group going on the S-Class exams the entire day to travel to Tenrou Island. They're supposed to set up camp before nighttime and work on setting up the tasks the next day: that's two days… So that means… the exam started yesterday at this same time!" Natsu exclaimed in awe at how fast time has flown by.

"If that's the case then the soonest I would expect them to return is the day after tomorrow." Porlyusica said as she finished finalizing Natsu's crutches.

"That's no time at all! Anyways, are those crutches ready yet?" Natsu asked.

"They should be. But before you use them, I have a question for you boy."

"Yeah what is it?" Natsu frowned as he just wanted to be able to actively move again.

"Aren't you angry that I'm still not letting you walk?" Porlyusica asked the pink haired Dragon Slayer as she tested both the crutches to see if they would support her weight.

"I'm angry that you're not letting me use those crutches!" Natsu joked before continuing. "In all seriousness, I would be angry. But I'm starting to get over not being able to go on the S-Class exams. The thing is, I was mad that I couldn't walk at first when I realized my fracture would prevent me from becoming an S-Class mage. Now that I know for certain that there's no way can participate because gramps left me here, there's no point in me walking any sooner. I mean, I still want to walk at some point, but I'd be happy to just get out of this infirmary." Natsu finished by flashing Porlyusica a toothy grin.

"If that's the case, sit up at the edge of the bed." Porlyusica instructed as she confirmed that Natsu was being sincere.

"Alright now what?" Natsu asked as he swung his legs off the bed.

"Place your left foot on the ground and shift your weight to it." Porlyusica said as she gave Natsu the crutch for this right arm.

"Okay?"

"Here's the crutch for your left arm. Do both of them fit you?"

"Like a glove."

"Then try standing up using your left leg. You should be able to use the crutches to support your weight and swing your body. Try walking to the door." Porlyusica concluded.

Natsu stood on his left leg and used the crutches to support his body. He slowly did as Porlyusica instructed and got into a rhythm of using the crutches to move his body while his left leg anchored him to the ground. As he approached the infirmary's door, he turned around to be met with the elderly woman approaching him.

"There should be some wheelchairs just below the infirmary staircase. We can fetch one on the way up to the guild hall." Porlyusica offered.

"Aww man! I'm all fired up now!" Natsu yelled out inside the infirmary.

* * *

Back up with the normal guild hall, things couldn't have been blander. Since the Tenrou group departed, there were only 11 active Fairy Tail members still at the guild.

"Who knew how dead this place could be without the Tenrou group here." A blue haired mage sighed from Fairy Tail's bar. He was currently wearing a long white jacket with a black t-shirt underneath.

"Yeah I here yah Macao. They left three days ago and I'm already bored out of my mind." Wakaba said as he scratched his bald spot. He was currently wearing a green t-shirt, orange shorts, and was talking to Macao from the seat beside him all the while smoking a pipe.

Kinana, who was currently serving them, decided to chip in. "Don't be like that! We just opened the guild an hour ago. Maybe we could find something to do later on. We rarely get to see each other because of how big and busy the guild usually is."

"Yeah! And maybe we can ask Porlyusica when she's done if Natsu can come up here with us! Didn't she say that Natsu would be able to walk by now?" Romeo shouted from besides his father.

"That sounds like a great idea Romeo. I really want to know if he's doing alright and if his leg hasn't gotten worse." Kinana smiled with hope.

Before anyone could respond, footsteps coming from the infirmary staircase resounded throughout the guild hall. The guild members present at the time all turned towards the location of the footsteps in silence to see Porlyusica emerging from the staircase with another figure next to her.

"Hey Guys! Guess who it is?!" An energetic voice called from besides her.

"NATSU!" The guild members present at the time yelled simultaneously before bolting towards the Dragon Slayer.

"Guess what? Porlyusica is letting me use crutches now so I can leave the infirmary whenever I want. Now I don't have to bother you with that Lacrima anymore!" He responded.

"Thank Edolas for that!" Macao chuckled before being interrupted by his son.

"Hey Natsu! I thought Porlyusica said that you should be able to walk right now!" Romeo called out as he gave Natsu a fist bump before hugging the Dragon Slayer's waist.

"I didn't want your Dragon Slayer to take any chances. I don't want him to walk on his leg and accidentally cause any irreversible damage. I'm just being cautious until I know for sure that his fracture has healed enough for him to walk on his leg again." Porlyusica answered for Natsu as she set his wheelchair besides the staircase. "I told him that he's free to come and go out of the infirmary as he wishes. I also wanted to instruct you to send Natsu right back down to the infirmary if he so much as touches the toe of his injured foot against the floor. If he gets the slightest bit of fatigue, I'm leaving this wheelchair by the staircase for him so sit in." Porlyusica concluded.

"Thank you for your help today Porlyusica." Macao spoke sincerely to her.

"I'll be back tomorrow the same time as today. If Natsu is lucky, he might be able to walk on his leg by then depending on how well he treats it until I return. If you need anything, you know where to find me." She nodded before taking her leave.

The remaining Fairy Tail members watched as Porlyusica made her way out of the guild. Their stares were interrupted by a purple haired barmaid breaking their concentration. "You heard her Natsu! No walking on your leg!" Kinana chanted from the bar.

"YeahYeahYeah." He muttered causing her to giggle.

"Typical men." Laki shook her head from the outside of the group.

"Anyways Natsu. Now that you're here how about joining me, Macao, Bisca, and Alzack here for a couple drinks at the bar?" Wakaba suggested as he nudged Natus's ribs with his elbow.

"But I want Natsu to tell me about his Dragon Slayer magic!" Romeo argued with.

"Natsu you should help me decide a quest that I can take from the Job Board! You're really strong so you should know the best one for me to go on!" Nab called out from the other side of him.

"Hey Natsu! It's been a while. Show me some of those sick dance moves of yours." Vijeeter politely asked.

"What the hell is wrong with you? He can't even walk on his leg you dumbass!" Max laughed at Vijeeter's stupidity. "Now what he can do is help me run the Fairy Tail Goods Shop. Come on Natsu! It's just the right job for you since you can't stand on your leg. Not to mention the free 'Salamander Advertisement' would be perfect for business." Max finished as his eyes began to glisten.

"Pardon, I suggest drawing a painting so we can remember this moment forever. Oui?" Reedus questioned with a smile on his face.

"Like hell that's happening. He's going to substitute for Levy and become a part time member of Team Shadow Gear!" Jet and Droy announced together.

"Don't forget about me!" Warren shouted. "What Natsu needs right now is to vent some of his recent frustrations using telepathy!"

The guild's calm atmosphere from when Porlyusica was there moments ago turned into a seemingly endless frenzy as everyone began to argue over what they should do with Natsu now that he was able to visit the guild. The helpless Dragon Slayer simply cowered in fear behind his wheelchair off to the corner of the staircase.

One guild member, however, noticed this and took control of the situation before it got too out of hand. " **ENOUGH!** " Macao boomed causing everyone to instantly calm down. "Let's not forget who's in charge here." He stated before focusing his attention towards Natsu hiding behind his wheelchair. "Sorry if we're making you feel uncomfortable Natsu. We're all bored out of our minds and I'm sure everyone just wants to spend some time with you before the Tenrou group returns considering the only time some of us get to visit the infirmary is when you use your Lacrima." Macao frowned as the pink haired Dragon Slayer slowly started to emerge from his hiding place.

The guild members took notice of this and felt guilty for their actions. "Sorry Natsu!" They chanted in unison.

"It's alright guys! I've been wanting to see you guys just as much. Just try to go easy on me. Hopefully by tomorrow, I'll be out of this cast and able to walk again." Natsu finished as he remembered what Porlyusica told him about the guildmates he rarely saw.

"Umm… Natsu? Are you feeling better since you can't go on the S-Class exam?" Romeo asked.

"Romeo!" Macao hissed towards his son across from him before apologizing to Natsu. "Natsu I'm sorry about his outburst. The night we learned that you wouldn't be going on the S-Class exams, Romeo was sleeping. He's wanted to see you ever since but I said he couldn't since Porlyusica didn't want us to visit unless you used your Lacrima. Even still, only those who Master Makarov instructed were able to visit." He finished by frowning.

Natsu simply laughed at Romeo's lack of a mouth filter. "Don't worry about it old man! Erza was able to make me feel better the day before she left for Tenrou Island. Long story short, you don't have to worry about me staying mad over not having the chance to become an S-Class mage." He reassured the guild by smiling warmly.

"Well that's great to hear." Macao sighed in relief as he was glad that his son didn't ruin the Dragon Slayer's mood.

"I've actually been wondering what Gramps is doing now. I mean, the exam should have started yesterday." Natsu pondered to his guildmates.

"I'm sure they're doing fine… Unless they have to fight against Gildarts, Erza, or Mirajane." Kinana winked.

Romeo then blurted out to idolize his role model. "Nuh-uh! If Natsu was there he could take all three of them on at the same time!"

"Of course I would buddy!" Natsu flared up his magic slightly causing the group to back up.

"Let's not get carried away. Don't forget that I'm still in charge Natsu. Master Makarov told me to look after you and that includes you making a safe recovery." Macao warned slightly.

"Whatever you say old man." Natsu groaned.

"So what do you plan on doing while you're up here"

"I actually plan on going to pick up a job from the board. Not for now though. I want to be able to get back to my regular routine once Gramps and the rest of the S-Class participants return from Tenrou Island which is when my leg should be better."

This time, Bisca decided to chip in. "Natsu's planning ahead?" She stated in awe.

"It's like he's a whole 'nother person!" Alzack agreed besides his crush.

"Honestly, I'm trying to do anything at this point to keep me busy." Natsu sighed.

"Same…" The entire guild groaned in unison.

"If that's the case, how about Romeo, Nab, Jet, and Droy come with me to the Job Board? I can give Nab and Team Shadow Gear some tips on picking a job and tell Romeo about my magic! Then we can talk at the bar if anyone wants to. Plus, we'll have tomorrow to do whatever you want since I'll most likely be able to walk again!" Natsu offered.

"Sure thing. We can just get drinks later on so you don't have to walk around drunk." Macao laughed.

"Alright it's settled then. C'mon Romeo we're going to go help these guys get a job!" Natsu gestured towards Nab, Jet, and Droy before moving from the infirmary's staircase to the Job Board. The group surrounding Natsu slowly dissolved and resumed their normal activities. As the small group approached the Job Board, the pink haired Dragon Slayer turned around to face the three mages in front of him. "So all you really need to know is the basics. Start by telling me your strengths Jet and Droy."

Without hesitation, Jet responded. "We work really great as a team. When Levy is with us, the three of us rarely get into arguments and we can get jobs done fast, clean, and easy." He smirked with confidence.

"Is that true Droy?" Natsu questioned.

Droy nodded in response. "Every bit of it. The problem is that Levy isn't with us right now so it's really tough for the two of us to go on jobs." Droy finished by frowning.

Natsu responded with a sizeable amount of feedback that wasn't expected from either of them. "That's good and bad. It's good that your team values its members and can't function to its full potential without one of your members, but your strengths shouldn't rely solely on one mage. What I'm trying to say is that you should still be an efficient team without one of your members. Should you be at your highest potential? Absolutely not, otherwise you would be carrying around dead weight. I would recommend improving your overall qualities that support Levy so that when she isn't with you guys, you can at least coordinate those strengths to your advantages with each other." Natsu finished with confidence. "Does that make sense?"

The look on Jet and Droy's faces were of complete shock as if they received some revolutionary advice. If they knew Natsu was this gifted in team based knowledge, they would have come to him a long time ago for help when Levy wasn't around.

"Yuh-Yeah Natsu. Thanks." The duo managed to stutter before going blank again.

Natsu smiled before directing his attention towards Nab. "Anyways, what seems to be your problem Nab?"

"I just can't choose the right job! They all look tempting and I don't want to choose one that I goof up on and end up wasting my time. That's why I need to find a job only I can do."

Natsu sighed before answering Nab. "All I can say is that you can't be worried about goofing up. How many times do I return to the guild with my team only for them to blame me for the majority of their loss in Jewel shares? Hell, even Gildarts goofs up. I mean, Magnolia Town needed to be reconstructed just so he can walk through the city without destroying it!" He finished which caused a wave of confidence to wash over Nab.

"Yah know what…? You're right Natsu! I'm going to pick this job that I had my eye on for a while!" Nab told the Dragon Slayer as he ripped a flier off the Job Board and showed him.

Natsu scanned the print before responding. "This is perfect for you Nab! The reward is enough to live on comfortably for a couple of days. Not only that, but the client needs the bandits brought to him without any major injuries. Your large body would be perfect for 'persuading' those thugs to follow along with your orders." Natsu finished as he nudged Nab towards the end.

"I'll be sure to go on it right when the Tenrou group gets back. Master Makarov isn't going to believe it when he sees I finally accepted a job request!"

Natsu shot Nab a toothy grin before turning to Romeo who was standing off to the side. "Alright guys. If you need anything else, I'm going to take Romeo to the bar and talk with his father for a little bit." The Dragon Slayer then waved to the trio which snapped Jet and Droy out of their dazed states as they quickly waved back. "Sorry for the wait buddy. Now that I helped these fellows out, ask me anything about my magic! I can just pick a job later." Natsu offered as he began to lead Romeo to the bar.

Romeo was simply gaping in awe at the recent conversations. "You've already taught me so much stuff about teams and jobs! I want to think about what you taught me before I learn about your magic." Romeo finished by jumping up and down in excitement.

"That's great Romeo! But are you sure you don't want to learn about my magic?"

"We can do it later when your leg gets better. That way you can give me a demonstration!" The child anxiously suggested.

"No problem!" The pink haired Dragon Slayer nodded in affirmation as he continued to lead the young boy along with him,

As Natsu began to approach the bar with Romeo, he began to tune into the conversation that Macao and Wakaba were having with Alzack, Bisca, and Kinana thanks to his enhanced hearing. The conversation Natsu picked up ushered a wave of fear, anxiousness, and even betrayal over him even though he didn't know the what the group was talking about.

* * *

"Macao! How can you say that?! He's always been there for us when we needed him!" Bisca hissed towards the blue haired mage.

"I'm not saying that he hasn't been there for us when we needed him. We're all Nakama, and it's best that you remember that damn well Bisca." Macao argued beneath his voice.

"Then I don't see what the problem is. Everything is fine the way it is." Alzack responded as he continued to lean in towards the center of the group and sip his ale.

"Wakaba agrees with me. Don't yah?" Macao turned to his left for support from his lifelong friend.

"Hold up! I never said I didn't agree with you, I'm just saying that you can't tell Natsu of all people about this. He wouldn't understand!" Bisca corrected the blue haired mage.

"Sorry Macao, but I'm with Bisca on this one. You can't just tell Natsu about this. He'll be heartbroken. Who knows how he'll react." Wakaba stated before the group heard a sound.

" **Click… Click… Click…** "

"Is that what I think it is?" Wakaba hurriedly questioned.

"Natsu's coming. Please don't bring this up with him." Kinana warned as she had a frontal view of the Dragon Slayer since she was working the bar's counter.

"Listen to Kinana. The girl has more of a brain than you." Bisca jokingly spat with slight malice.

"I'm sorry Kinana, but this is something Natsu should hear for himself." Macao apologized to the preteen before sitting upright awaiting the young Dragon Slayer's arrival.

* * *

Natsu quickly diverted his attention back to Romeo before speaking. "You know what Romeo? You should go look for Laki or Warren and hang out with them since you haven't spoke to them today. Tell them that I said hi." Natsu finished as he ruffled the young boy's hair.

"Okay Natsu! Don't forget that you promised to show me some of your magic when your leg gets better!" Romeo said before skipping off in the other direction.

As the small child turned around, Natsu sighed in relief. " _Whatever they're talking about at the bar, it's best if Romeo doesn't get caught up in the middle of it."_ With that, he slowly transversed the remainder on the distance between him and the bar. After walking the entire length of the guild, he attempted to make his entrance as obvious as possible in order to not make it seem as though he was eavesdropping. Natsu began to make the sound caused from his crutches hitting the guild floors surface more obvious which caused the group sitting at the bar to slowly move back into their upright positions.

Natsu was now standing directly behind the group sitting in a line at the bar as he made his entrance. "Hey guys! What are you talking about?" Natsu asked with slight worry in his voice fearing that his Nakama were talking behind his back similar to how Gray did.

"Natsu! Come and sit down in the middle of us. We've got something we want to talk to you about." Macao smiled as he offered Natsu his seat by standing up from his barstool and moving to the one on the other side of Wakaba. All the while Bisca snuck him a dirty glare at what he just suggested before smiling towards the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu began to slowly ease into the conversation as he sat down and placed his crutches off to the side. "Can you believe it's already evening? It's probably night time at Tenrou Island. I bet you all that Freed is our new S-Class mage. The guy is a lot stronger than he looks." Natsu shared his opinion while putting a fake smile on his face.

"My Jewels are on Juvia. Apparently she gave Gray a run for his money when she was still apart of the Element 4." Bisca chimed in as she tried to take Macao's mind off their original conversation. To her dismay, Macao wasn't the one she had to worry about anymore.

"I get what you're saying but Juvia's still pretty new to the guild. There's still a ton she doesn't know about our magic, strengths, and weaknesses so that might end up costing her the exam." Natsu offered the group his opinion before continuing. "So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Natsu reluctantly questioned which instantly drained the smile from Bisca's face.

"Natsu, we wanted to talk to you about something that's been on our minds lately." Macao stated as he looked into Natsu's eyes.

"Alright that's enough Macao, don't make a scene right now. I already told you not to tell Natsu about this." Bisca gather the courage and scolded him in front of the Dragon Slayer.

"Bisca, stop making him think this is bigger than it is." Macao sighed.

"He's right Bisca. Let the guy share his opinion if he wants. You even said that you agreed with him to a degree." Alzack said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"That's not the point. Remember what I told you I was worried about in our conversation? He won't understand." Bisca momentarily directed her attention towards Alzack.

"Macao, listen to Bisca. Think about this before you tell him." Wakaba warned.

At this point, Natsu was beyond scared. What was so important that they couldn't tell him or even understand for that matter? They were Nakama after all. The only thing that they couldn't tell him was if it had to do with him himself.

"Tell me." Natsu stated with a startling calm tone. "I can handle going on the S-Class exams as of now, so I can handle whatever it is you have to say to me. It's not like you can back out at this point either. I've already heard too much."

"There's your answer, Bisca." Macao said as he focused his attention back to Natsu causing Bisca to rub her temples as she anticipated the worst. "Natsu, we were all thinking the same thing for some time now but were debating on telling you since we didn't know how you would react or even understand what we're talking about. Don't worry, you're absolutely entitled to your own beliefs. I just wanted to see if you could relate to the 5 of us."

"Go on…" Natsu encouraged Macao as he anxiously fiddled with his fingers expecting the worst.

"Natsu, it has to do with how the Tenrou group and Master Makarov view-"

Before Macao could continue though, the entrance to the Fairy Tail Guild hall burst open which instantly interrupted him mid sentence.

" **Shh- DOOM!** " The doors made as they were flung open. The group at the bar as well as every other Fairy Tail member immediately diverted their attention to see who made the outlandish entrance as a deathly silence fell between them. Once their eyes slowly began to adjust to the glare coming form the evening's sun, they were able to identify two men slowly walking into the guild hall.

"I apologize for the unorthodox entrance, but this is a state of emergency." One of them bowed and broke the silence. "My name is Lahar. I serve under the-"

"Magic Council." Macao completed the sentence as he took into account the attire the men were wearing. They were both wearing the same long blue jacket that went past their wastes. Their shoulders and parts of their sides were covered by a white garment that was fastened just below their collarbones.

"Precisely." Lahar responded before directing his attention to the man next to him. "This is my subordinate,-" Before he could continue, he was once again interrupted by one of the guild members.

"Mest?!" Natsu exclaimed as he leaped out of his barstool and supported himself with his crutches. "What are you doing dressed up as the Magic Council? Aren't you a participant in the S-Class exam?"

"Yes." He briskly answered as he avoided eye contact with the guild members. "Please give my superior and I a chance to explain ourselves before you react. My real name isn't Mest, it's Doranbolt and I am a member of the Magic Council. I was operating under the alias of 'Mest' and a member of Fairy Tail in order to infiltrate Tenrou Island. Our superior, Gran Doma, entrusted me with this so he could find some reason on Tenrou Island to disband Fairy Tail."

The entire guild roared in response. " **WHAT!?** "

"I'm sorry, but Lahar and I were following orders." Doranbolt stated. "We have no intentions on being your enemies."

"So I guess you're here to disband us because you found a reason to?!" Macao spat as he began to clench his fists in anger as he felt betrayal wash over him.

"We are not here for that reason." Lahar interrupted. "As I said before we are here because there is a state of emergency. Have any of you heard of both Zeref and Grimoire Heart before?" Lahar finished speaking which caused Doranbolt to tense up as he knew what was to come.

"Yeah Master Makarov mentioned them a couple of times. Zeref is considered the most evil mage of all time and Grimoire Heart is a Dark Guild apart of the Balam Alliance. The only thing I know about them is that their Guild Master is some guy by the name of Master Hades and their strongest team is the 7 Kin of Purgatory. What about them?" Wakaba growled.

"Grimoire Heart led an attack on Tenrou Island at 1200 yesterday: shortly after the annual S-Class exam began. Their motives were to use Tenrou Island to resurrect Zeref as well as eliminate the most powerful Fairy Tail mages once their presence was discovered on the island." Lahar continued which only caused Doranbolt's chest to tighten.

The guild hall was in a state of shock to say the least. Romeo, who long made his way from where Warren and Laki were standing towards the Magic Council representatives, was able to speak out as he had full confidence in the Tenrou group's safety. "If that's the case… Fairy Tail had to win! Nothing can take them down… Right?" Romeo slowed down his speech as he slowly lost confidence.

Natsu was able to gain his composure and yell: completely ignoring the fact that Romeo was present. "BULLSHIT! Only Gramps knows where Tenrou Island is. How was Grimoire Heart supposed to find out where it is?"

Macao supported Natsu with hope. He didn't care that they were cursing in front of Romeo. At this point, very little was making sense. "Yeah! How do we know this isn't just so we react in a way that gets us disbanded?"

Lahar answered Macao by responding to the Romeo's question. "Because the Tenrou Group was able to prevent Hades from resurrecting Zeref. It was a close battle, but they were able to prevail and remain victorious over Grimoire Heart. As farfetched as this sounds, it was revealed by Master Makarov that Hades was the second Fairy Tail Guild Master.

"I KNEW THAT FAIRY TAIL WON!" Romeo shouted as he punched the air in excitement.

"I guess we have to believe him if the Tenrou Group won. Right?" Wakaba questioned.

The next part Lahar stated shocked them all again into a state of awe. "I wasn't finished yet. This is where Zeref comes in… Zeref himself couldn't have been resurrected… Because he was already living on Tenrou Island at the time of the S-Class exams. Doranbolt overheard Zeref saying that he thought that Fairy Tail wouldn't be able to win against Grimoire Heart so he said one word… 'Acnologia.' I'm assuming you've all heard the name Acnologia before?" Lahar paused to survey the guild's reactions. However, the majority still had emotions of betrayal and anger written on their facial expressions from Mest's previous confession.

Natsu, on the other hand, was able to keep up with the two Magic Council representatives and slowly began to realize the situation at hand. "Acnologia? You mean that black dragon that stopped Gildarts from completing his Century Quest?"

Lahar took this as his cue to continue. "Precisely. Zeref knew how power hungry Acnologia was. The dragon would have stopped at nothing to claim Zeref's life for his own ego. If it meant that the Tenrou group could possibly die in the process just so Zeref's power could be sealed away, he was ready to take those chances. A day after Fairy Tail's victory over Grimoire Heart, Acnologia appeared on Tenrou Island to kill Zeref by destroying Tenrou Island all together for good measure. By that time, it was too late, Grimoire Heart was already defeated and had fled. There was no need for Zeref to have summoned the black dragon. Acnologia was ready to destroy Tenrou Island if it meant he gained reputation and power."

Natsu froze as he heard Lahar claim why Acnologia appeared on Tenrou Island. Before someone could call Lahar out, the Dragon Slayer stated in a low voice. "He's not lying. Remember when Gildarts returned from his Century Quest to help with the S-Class exam? He said that he was forced to return because a black dragon critically injured him which prevented him from completing it."

Romeo on the other hand was too short minded to come to the same conclusions as Natsu. "Natsu! this is your chance to find Igneel again! Maybe the black dragon knows where he is!" He bounced in joy of possibly meeting a dragon.

"Romeo… Gildarts told me that this black dragon was different. The dragon's eyes were cold and he had no intention on talking to him. The only thing the black dragon told Gildarts was his name… Acnologia." He began to shudder and lose his composure at the thought of such a monster.

"So then what's the problem if Grimoire Heart was already defeated?" Wakaba sighed in annoyance.

"Wuh- Wakaba… Why do you think Lahar and Doranbolt came to tell us about Acnologia if Gramps could have done it once he got home or over Lacrima?" Natsu rhetorically asked as tears slowly began to run down his face as he feared the worst.

"Natsu… Natsu seems to be catching on to the outcome of Acnologia appearing. I tried… I tried convincing them that they were outmatched. I told them that- that they had to retreat with us before Acnologia came. But they… They wanted to stay and fight for the rest of Fairy Tail and protect Tenrou Island." Doranbolt slightly gasped for air for he was unable to continue as his time as a Fairy Tail mage made him emotionally attached to the guild.

Instead, Lahar continued for his subordinate. The next words that came out of his mouth changed the magical world forever which caused Natsu to completely fall onto the guild's floor. "In order to ensure that Grimoire Heart couldn't resurrect Zeref, Zeref ordered Acnologia to destroy the entirety of Tenrou Island to confirm that there was absolutely no possibility of a successor who would take advantage of his powers. The Tenrou Group fought valiantly against Acnologia after Grimoire Heart was defeated to fend off from their new enemy, but inevitably fell to his strength in the end. I am sorry to inform you that Tenrou Island, as well as you closest friends and family, no longer exist."

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** Something that Porlyusica told Natsu is going to directly tie into what Macao was discussing at the bar and that's going to shape the outcome of a pivotal decision (see if you can figure out what Porlyusica was talking about). So what was Macao talking about at the bar? Was it about Natsu? Is there going to be a repeat with what happened with Gray? Stick around to find out!


	4. Chapter 4 - Understanding Each Other

**Author's Note:** I'm back with another update! I was actually able to write large portions of this chapter (themes and major plot progression) during my week of finals so I was able to knock this one out today. Now that it's the end of the semester for my college classes, I'll be able to update more frequently if I get the opportunity!

Lastly, I plan on posting two Author's Notes with most chapters now. If you see a second one at the end, it most likely will recap themes, plot progression, and certain character interactions. **HOWEVER,** there is a possibility that I might kill some foreshadowing and spoil some themes that I encourage most of you to find out on your own. Essentially, read the second Author's Note if and mostly if you're totally confused about what's going on as it might benefit your interpretation.

Once again, thank you so much for your support. On with the Fanfiction!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter four: Understanding Each Other**

"NATSU!" Macao's yelled as he knelt besides the Dragon Slayer sprawled on the floor. "What the hell were you thinking?! You could have hurt your leg if you fell on it." He scolded before directing his attention elsewhere. "MAX! GET HIM HIS WHEELCHAIR!" He barked towards the closest person to where it was located. Macao continued to provide comfort for Natsu as the unfathomable events began to sink in for the other guild members. All the while max hurriedly pushed the wheelchair towards Dragon Slayer in distress.

"No… Tenrou Island is still there as usual… This is just some kind of screwed up nightmare. I JUST HOPE I WAKE UP SOON!" Wakaba yelled as he fell to his knees succumbing to his emotions by the bar. All the while Natsu thrashed within Macao's comforting arms similar to how a baby does.

"LET GO OF ME! I NEED TO SEE TENROU ISLAND FOR MYSELF!" Natsu fought in denial of the events that unfolded even though he knew the inevitable outcome of his Nakama.

"Natsu… Please listen to me. You said it yourself… They're gone. Stop being irrational about this." Macao said as he hushed the weeping mage as the wheelchair was left besides them.

"I'LL SLAUGHTER THE BASTARD WHO KILLED OUR FAMILY!" Natsu roared over the guild causing Macao to squeeze him tighter. "I don't get- get it." Natsu hiccupped nearly losing his voice. "Erza told me there was a reason for me not going on the S-Class exam. WAS THAT REASON TO WATCH MY NAKAMA DIE?" He questioned out of anger and frustration. Many of the other guild members began to break down in tears at the harsh words the Dragon Slayer was using to describe the situation.

Back towards the center of the guild, Lahar signaled Doranbolt that it was in their best interests to leave without parting words. It was appropriate to do so since the guild obviously needed time to themselves as family.

"Can you give me a minute?" Doranbolt whispered to Lahar as he passed by.

Lahar quickly debated in his mind before responding. "They need time to themselves Doranbolt. We're here to do our jobs."

"Does that include being a heartless bastard? They trusted me. The least I can do right now is owe them an apology."

"Fine, I can see you're emotionally attached. Only this once, and make it quick." Lahar stated as he took his leave.

Once Doranbolt confirmed Lahar was out of earshot, he began to speak out loud to the mourning guild. "I- I really am sorry. I should- I should have dragged some of them off Tenrou Island with me and carried them onto our ship. I should have stayed longer. Your friends trusted me as a Fairy Tail mage. They thought they could relate to me when the whole time I lied behind their backs for my own benefit as a Magic Council representative. I tried making it up to them by begging Lahar to stay on Tenrou Island longer to get some of them home to safety."

"If… If you really want to help us during our time of need, leave our guild hall now." Natsu gritted from Macao's arms as Doranbolt's apology reminded him of Gray's.

"I promise to leave. Please just accept these and view them at your earliest convenience." Mest said as he approached Macao to hand him a Lacrima and a small piece of parchment.

As Macao put them in his jacket's pocket, he diverted his attention from Natsu only to stare into the eyes of Mest before speaking. "Master Makarov left me in charge. I might not have control over the Magic Council, but I suggest you leave our guild hall." He said with slight malice.

"Thank you for understanding." Mest finished before taking his leave. Even after the two Magic Council representatives departed, all the guild members continued to mourn the saddest day that any of them had experienced.

* * *

Hours had passed since Lahar and Doranbolt left. Kinana had her head down on the counter's bar and Natsu had long stopped thrashing in Macao's arms and was sitting in his wheelchair. He was staring straight up at the ceiling as he was still in disbelief. Wakaba was on his knees in the same position he fell in while Team Shadow Gear was using the Job Board to support them. Romeo was still bawling his eyes out next to Laki and Warren who were trying to offer him words to encouragement and by patting his back. Everyone had lost someone important to them and no amount of tears could express the sadness that they were all experiencing.

Out of nowhere, Romeo continued to sniffle as he raised his head and called out to his father who was besides Natsu. "Duh- Dad? What did that guy from the Magic Council guh-give you?"

"Let me check…" He said as he fished through his pocket for the small document. "They- They told us to read this at our earliest convenience." He hiccuped before clearing his throat while smoothing out the paper. "To the members of the Fairy Tail Guild hall," He began, "Since Master Makarov is unable to fulfill his duties as Fairy Tail's Guild Master considering his disappearance along with Tenrou Island, the Magic Council requires that a new Guild Master takes his place. I hereby give you permission, as a Magic Council representative, to enter your former Guild Master's private quarters in order to retrieve the Will and testament he has written. From, Doranbolt." Macao finished as he continued to scour the paper skeptically. "Sounds simple enough. But… Why is he helping us of all people? He doesn't care about Fairy Tail. All he needed to do was make sure that Fairy Tail was disbanded so we can't interfere with the Magic Council."

This time, Warren decided to chip in from besides Romeo. "That's a good point Macao. Now what was that other thing he gave you?" He asked intrigued while wiping the dry mucus from his face.

Macao stuttered as he tried to fish the other object out of his jacket's pocket. "OH! Err… He gave me this Lacrima."

Natsu's face began to shadow in hatred and pain as he thought it was the recording of the events on Tenrou Island. "Is… Is that what I think it is."

"I don't think so." Macao reassured him. "Lahar said that the original recording from Tenrou Island had its audio corrupted. This one seems to be just fine." Macao concluded as he examined the crystal sphere in his hands.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Play the damn thing. We've already hit rock bottom." Jet and Joy sobbed at the loss of their valued team member.

"Here it goes." Macao said as he projected the sphere while ignoring Jet and Droy's negative comment.

In the middle of the projection sat Doranbolt without his Magic Council uniform on.

"Hello to whom might view this," The recording began, "I assume by now you've been notified with the faith of the Tenrou Group. My name is Mest Gryder, and I am a mage of Fairy Tail. As of this recording, I'm currently heading back to the mainland from the events on Tenrou Island. Gran Doma is planning to use the disappearance of the Tenrou Group as means to disband Fairy Tail. Although he can't disband Fairy Tail directly since he has no reason to, he's currently planning on Fairy Tail inevitably having to dissolve due to not being able to support itself. Now that the one of the strongest guild masters in the world has vanished, there's going to have to be a successor to take his place in order to prevent Fairy Tail from dissolving. If you fail to do this in the next 30 days by formally notifying the Magic Council in person of your decision, Gran Doma reserves the right to automatically disband Fairy Tail. Furthermore, if Master Makarov has left Fairy Tail with a Will and Testament, I give you permission as a Magic Council representative to search through his personal belongings for it. As of the day of this recording, the 30 day grace period for determining Fairy Tail's new master has begun."

Mest paused to look around the room he was recording in when he heard footsteps in the distance. He then began to speed up his speech. "Fairy Tail, I speak to you as a guildmate and not as my alias. There will be a time to grieve upon our lost family and to remember them for the sacrifice that they made today, but now is not the time. I understand that this is a sudden change to your guild hall. As for me, Master Makarov instructed me to stay in the Magic Council to protect my identity. I will be watching over you from afar by gathering Magic Council intel and updating you every so often. Fairy Tail, I wish you the best of luck." With that, the Lacrima returned to its crystal state.

There were multiple emotions spread across the entire guild. Some members such as Macao and Natsu were shocked that Mest would go this far to ensure the safety of their guild. After all, he was a Magic Council representative. If his superiors ever found out about these recording, he would be tried for treason without a doubt.

Others, such as Wakaba, had more questions than answers and completely ignored the fact that Mest was putting his life on the line for the benefit of Fairy Tail. "Gran Doma basically won then. What's going to stop him from just turning down every member that asks to be Guild Master? Who's going to be the next Guild Master anyways? What would Master Makarov want us doing right now? And... Now that I think about it, how the hell was a dragon able to destroy Tenrou Island when we had two Dragon Slayers at the time?" He started spewing questions in an endless stream.

"Calm down Wakaba. I think we can all agree that our first step is to destroy this Lacrima. Mest is already risking his life sneaking information from the council to us."

"I'm still not going to forgive that guy easily. He should have put our family before some identity."

"Wakaba, Master Makarov ordered him not to. Plus, he did everything he could to get them off Tenrou Island."

This time, Natsu interrupted from his wheelchair. "But… But that bastard decided to kill our family. It… It only makes sense if we settle the score." He began to chuckle with a maniacal tone as he referred to Acnologia.

"Natsu, I know you're upset. You heard what Mest said. We need to figure out this mess in front of us. Plus, you're in no condition to fight. Physically and emotionally, we're all drained." Macao responded.

"But I'm a goddamn Dragon Slayer! I should be able to kill Acnologia with my eyes closed."

"Natsu, you're not thinking rationally now. Remember what you said earlier when Lahar and Mest were still here? You said that Acnologia was able to end Gildart's Century Quest. I hate to say it, but if Gildarts couldn't stand a chance against that monster, I doubt Gajeel and Wendy would have done any better." Macao grimaced which caused Natsu to clench his fists at the truth.

Wakaba decided to intervene with Macao again. "Now how do you know that Gran Doma isn't going to turn down every member we send to the Magic Council?"

"He might be chairman to the Magic Council, but if he needs a valid reason to disband Fairy Tail, I'm sure he's going to need a valid reason to reject our decision."

"Anyways, how do we know we can trust Mest in the first place?"

"Well... I didn't really see anything in the recording that he would necessarily need to lie about." Macao said while stroking his stubble.

"What about Master Makarov's office? What if Mest just set us up and we go in there to see if Master Makarov wrote a Will and they disband Fairy Tail for invading private property?"

"You mean the private property that belongs to us? Plus, Master Makarov isn't with us anymore. He can't tell us that we can't go through his personal belongings. We can't act like the Magic Council has any more control over us then they did a couple days ago. If anyone wants to come, I'm going up to Master Makarov's office to see if we can find anything to help us." Macao firmly concluded as he walked towards the staircase to the second floor.

"At least take me with you." Natsu grumbled from besides the staircase as Macao passed him.

"Only if you're feeling better enough to use your crutches again." Macao offered as he handed the metallic devices to him.

"I can't say any of us are feeling emotionally better. But if you're concerned about me being able to move, I'll be fine." Natsu grimaced as he stood up from his wheelchair and used his crutches to support him.

Macao nodded before signaling for the rest of the guild members present to follow him to the second floor of the guild. As they completed the flight of stairs and began to approach Master Makarov's office, Natsu caught up with Macao who started to speak to him.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Macao gestured towards the simple office door.

Natsu nodded before reaching out to grab the office's doorknob. "Well… It's time to see what Gramps been up to all these years." He sighed before turning the doorknob and entering the former Guild Master's office.

* * *

Master Makarov's office was startling simple considering the hectic everyday tasks that he normally tended to. In the middle of the room was a desk with a chair positioned behind it. Off to the sides were bookshelves that lined the walls with a giant window looking out towards the sea behind the desk.

"I can start checking the drawers on the sides of Gramp's desk." Natsu offered as he placed his crutches on the desk and began to shuffle through tax papers and other formal documents located within them.

"I can look through those books underneath his desk. If they're underneath his desk they've got to be important." Laki offered as she spotted the stack.

Macao then turned around to the rest of the guild members standing at the office's entrance. "You can all help by searching through these bookshelf's. He might have hidden important and confidential items within some of the things he reads. Make sure to check behind the shelves themselves to see if Master Makarov hid anything behind them. As for me, I'm going to help Natsu look through those drawers. Remember not to leave anything unchecked. We have no idea where he hid his Will." He warned everyone with caution.

With that, the remaining Fairy Tail mages all began to scour through the office in hopes of finding something that could benefit them within their time of need. Romeo, Max, Wakaba, Kinana, Macao, Vijeeter, Jet, Droy, Nab, Reedus, Warren, Alzack, and Bisca all began to spread out and take apart the shelves that belonged to the former Guild Master.

Laki was the first to break the silence that began to settle. "THESE AREN'T IMPORTANT BOOKS AT ALL! THEY'RE MAGAZINES!" She yelped as she opened one of them and held it up so the guild members could see. Inside the pages were multiple pictures of Mirajane sprawled on top of a bed with nothing but a skimpy bikini on. All of the other members burst out in laughter which lightened the somber atmosphere. Bisca quickly covered both Kinana's and Romeo's eyes as they were standing close to her. "ALL OF THESE MAGAZINES ARE FROM SORCERER WEEKLY'S ADULT ISSUE!" Laki continued to fume in disgust.

"That's Master Makarov for you." Macao meekly smiled.

It wasn't long before Wakaba stopped laughing and disassembling the bookshelves in order to direct his attention to Macao. "Hey how do you even know that Master Makarov even left his Will in his office?"

"I don't think he would have left anywhere else. The man is in here from sunrise to sunset on most days. Just keep searching until we find something worth our while." Macao reassured his friend.

As Laki finished tossing the stack of adult magazines into the back of the room, Natsu continued to scavenge through Master Makarov's desk drawers. "Hey Macao, I'm not having much luck in here either. All I'm finding is documented reports on guild taxes, Magic Council letters, and records on meetings and conversations that Gramps has had with the other Wizard Saints…" He trailed off towards the end.

Macao took into account his change in tone. "Did you find anything?" He questioned in hope.

Natsu shook his head in response. "That last part about meetings and conversations made me wonder… What is it did you want to talk to me about earlier today before Lahar and Mest came into our guild?" He asked while lowering his head as he was reminded of the Tenrou Group's faith.

Macao immediately approached him from the other side of the desk and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Natsu, don't worry about that right now. You heard what Mest said. What we need to worry about now is keeping the family that we have together." This caused Bisca to silently sigh in relief as she didn't agree to telling Natsu about their conversation.

"But-" Natsu was cut off.

"I said not to worry about it. If it's more important then what we're facing right now, I would have told you already."

Natsu was able to muster a small smile in response. Before Lahar and Mest interrupted their earlier conversation, Macao was able to give the Dragon Slayer enough context for him to conclude that his Nakama weren't talking behind his back. Feeling satisfied, Natsu diverted his attention from Macao to continue searching through the desk's drawers. Another silence fell upon the group as Macao returned to searching through the drawer adjacent to the one Natsu was searching through.

After no luck of finding anything of value, Natsu closed the drawer and muttered in annoyance as his lack of patience was getting the better of him. "Damnit. For all we know Gramps could have hidden his Will to keep it safe."

"Calm down Natsu. We'll find it soon. It wouldn't make sense for him to hide it in a place we couldn't access. That would defeat the purpose of it." Macao reassured the Dragon Slayer.

Before Natsu could continue his rant, he spotted a drawer hiding behind the seat that was pushed into the desk. "Hey, did anyone check this one yet?" He asked by removing the seat which revealed the central drawer.

Laki was the first to respond as she was right beneath the desk. "I didn't even see that when I was looking through Master Makarov's magazines. Nice going Natsu." She smiled up at him.

Natsu returned the smile before returning his attention to the drawer. "Hopefully this is the drawer we're looking for. It's a lot smaller and more hidden than the rest of the others." He added before reluctantly pulling the knob. As the contents of the drawer revealed itself, Natsu's hopeful smile turned into that of a frown.

"What's wrong Natsu?" Laki asked worriedly as the rest of the guild members began to surround the desk.

"There's nothing in here. There's only a blank piece of paper with a black outline of the Fairy Tail Guild Mark on it." He groaned as he slammed the drawer shut without even examining it closely.

"Wait Natsu! Did you check the back of it?" Romeo smiled with hope as he reopened the drawer and picked up the piece of parchment. As he turned it over, his smile also turned into a frown as there was nothing written on the piece of paper. The only thing on there was the outline of the Fairy Tail Guild Mark.

Macao approached his son to examine the piece of paper. "Let me see that. There's no way that's the only thing written on it." He finished as he referred to the black outline. As he took the parchment into his own hands, Macao gasped as he witnessed the outline of the Fairy Tail Guild Mark solidify into the same color of his guild mark before disappearing from the paper. Writing began to fill the entire surface once the mark completely vanished.

"Reedus?" Macao directed his attention to the Pict Mage across the desk.

"Oui?"

"Would you mind examining this and telling me if there are any spells that you can identify?" He politely asked.

"Certainly." Reedus replied before accepting the piece of paper from the blue haired mage. As he examined the guild mark, his facial expression remained completely neutral as he was able to immediately identify what caused the inscribed writing to reveal itself. He then handed the parchment back to Macao who awaited an answer.

Warren was the first to address the situation out of confusion. "Can someone please tell us what the hell is going on? I can't be the only one confused."

Reedus addressed Warren by answering Macao's original question. "The paper was inscribed using a magical stylus. The Fairy Tail Guild Mark outline on it will only disappear if a member of Fairy Tail is holding it. Once that happens, whatever content is written on it will be revealed." He calmly replied.

As Macao began to once again examine the piece of paper in his hands, the Fairy Tail Guild Mark outline began to solidify before disappearing completely and revealing a page of writing on it. The top of the paper was titled "Will and Testament" which caused Macao to smile.

"This is it guys." He reassured the group which lightened the anxious mood.

Natsu was the first to comment. "Using a magical stylus was a really smart thing to do. That way Gramps didn't need to worry about hiding it in a place that would be suspicious for an intruder looking for it. Hell, even I thought it was a blank piece of paper with our Guild Mark on it." He then directed his attention towards Romeo standing beside him. "Way to go buddy! Good thing you picked it up or we would have never found what we're looking for."

"Thanks Natsu… But why wasn't I able to see what was written on there?" Romeo sighed with sadness.

"It's probably because you're not an official Fairy Tail member until you get your Guild Mark." Natsu replied as he ruffled the young boy's hair.

"That's true Natsu. Now what does it say on there Macao?" Wakaba encouraged the blue haired mage to read what was written on the paper as everyone had their attention diverted to him.

Macao cleared his throat and took a quick glance to ensure everyone was paying attention before reading the Will out loud. "In the event that I am unable to continue my duties as the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, I hereby declare my successor to be…" Before he could announce the name, Macao hesitated as he was having trouble reading the writing.

"C'mon old man. We're dying over here! Tell us the name already." Natsu practically begged.

"I would but there's a problem… I can't read it because the name is scratched out." Macao said as he handed the Will over to Natsu so he could see.

Natsu took a few moments to analyze the scratched out portion before continuing for Macao. "I think the name says Ivan Dreyar."

"Oh that isn't good." Wakaba commented.

"What? Isn't Ivan Gramp's son?"

"Yeah but the two of them haven't spoken in years. He was originally a guild member back when Laxus was a younger teenager. Ivan was removed from Fairy Tail when Master Makarov…"

"When Gramps what?" Natsu questioned.

"Actually… Master Makarov never mentioned why he removed Ivan from the guild." Wakaba frowned.

"If that's the case then I'll keep on reading what's written here. I think there's more on the second line." Natsu responded as he made sure everyone was still paying attention. He cleared his throat before continuing for Macao. "In the event that the previous condition no longer applies, I hereby declare my successor to be…" Natsu paused as he cringed at the name written.

"Don't tell me, is it also scratched out?" Kinana asked worriedly.

Natsu shook his head in response before completing the line. "Laxus Dreyar." He uttered.

"I think we can all agree on that being out of the question. Does it say anything else on there Natsu?" Wakaba chuckled.

"In the event that none of the mentioned conditions apply, I hereby declare my successor to be the guild member with the greatest compassion, most wisdom, and above all: the ability to understand his or her Nakama." Natsu finished as he looked up in shock. The guild members present began to survey each other for some sort of reaction.

"Is… Is there anything else on there Natsu?" Macao questioned.

"Not that I can see."

"Then I suggest we should head back down to the guild. We've all been through a lot since Natsu woke up so we should probably call it a day. We can decide what we do with Master Makarov's office belongings in the morning. Just leave the books neatly where you placed them." Macao instructed before heading to the door.

"Oi! Old man! Did you already forget that we need a new Guild Master? Shouldn't it be you since Gramps left you in charge?" Natsu called out before grabbing his crutches and following the group out of the office.

"He might have left me in charge, but that doesn't mean I have the qualities of being Guild Master. We'll figure this mess out in the morning. Mest said we had 30 days before Fairy Tail is disbanded and we've already made lots of progress. What we need right now is rest if we want to make tomorrow anywhere close to productive as today." He answered as the group traveled back towards the stairwell.

"Damn Macao! Wisdom is a check. Now all we need is compassion and an ability to understand." Wakaba joked and caught up to him before leaning in slightly to whisper one more part into his ear. "And considering our conversation we had this morning at the bar, I would say you understand our guild enough to be the new Guild Master."

"Wakaba, I understand what we talked about, but I don't understand a solution to it. So how can I say that I understand us at all? That's half the battle. Believe me, I won't be the person you'd want for Guild Master." He whispered back as he entered the first floor with the rest of the group behind him.

While the rest of the members were getting prepared to leave the guild, Natsu fell back towards the end of the group as the entire time since he read the Will, something kept pestering him.

" _The ability to understand his or her Nakama."_ Natsu recited within his mind from the Will.

This led him to remembering what Porlyusica told him earlier this morning. " _Just because some of your members rarely visit doesn't make them less important than the ones you see on an everyday basis."_

Finally, he recalled what Erza told him in the infirmary a couple days back before she left for Tenrou Island. _"A_ _s_ _I said before, just approach your situation from another angle. I mean, I don't go around everyday thinking that Rob and Simon are dead. I remember that I live on because of them."_

It all made sense now.

"All right Guys, let's close up the guild." Macao rubbed his temples as he quieted everyone down.

Just before everyone could say their heartfelt goodbyes for the evening, Natsu stated his realization out loud as his eyes widened. "I know what you were talking about at the bar." Natsu smiled at Macao who turned around to meet his gaze.

"What was that Natsu?" Macao said as he misheard him. The entire group directed their attention to the duo as Natsu began to speak.

"I have it figured out. You know? That conversation you had with Wakaba, Kinana, Bisca, and Alzack. It wasn't until Gramps said something about it in his Will did I realize what you were talking about in your conversation. Porlyusica mentioned something about it when I was in the infirmary earlier this morning because I asked her if she was a member of Fairy Tail. I was able to connect the two and whatever context you gave me about your conversation before Lahar and Mest burst into our guild. But... You guys deserve more attention then what Gramps gave you. Just because some of Fairy Tail's members rarely visit or don't interact with others as much doesn't make them any less important than the ones you see on an everyday basis." Natsu concluded using all the brain power he could muster.

"What?" Macao's eyes widened at Natsu's response.

"I mean… I think that's what it's about. You guys might be thinking that Gramps and the Tenrou Group didn't view you with the same amount as they viewed me or most of the other well known Fairy Tail members, but that's not true. The thing is, that's not as easy for most of us since we view our friendships with each other as physical aspects… I think that means like in the moment or something like that. Porlyusica was the one to tell me that just because I don't see you guys as often doesn't mean you're not as an important of a guild member. But that's something I feel like Gramps, me, and most of the other well known Fairy Tail members overlooked which is why I tried hanging out with so many of you today. It's not fair that I got to form a stronger bond with Gramps compared to you guys which is why Bisca said I wouldn't understand what you guys are feeling. It's not about giving you guys attention when you need it, like when Macao was stuck on Mt. Hakobe," Natsu paused slightly to jokingly nudge his head towards the blue haired mage standing in utter awe, "It's about giving you guys attention… WHEN YOU DON'T NEED IT!"

"Nuh- No way." Macao began to grow emotional from hearing Natsu."

I know it can't make up for the lost time you can no longer have with Gramps, but you guys are my family and its time I acted like it. Erza said something to me before she left for Tenrou Island' there's a reason why I wasn't able to go on the S-Class exams. Maybe it was so… So I was able to tell you that it's time that I started viewing you the way you all wished that Gramps did."

Natsu wept slightly as he remembered his deceased Nakama before continuing. "We're… We're to move on from this. We all lost people important from us. Jet and Droy lost Levy, Macao and Wakaba lost Cana, and I lost my team and my own son. But Erza was eventually able to free herself from her past when she couldn't save Simon, Jellal, or Rob from the Tower of Heaven! So… What makes us any different from her?! It might be today, tomorrow, or years from now, but we need to listen to what she said to me and move on from what we're facing. And that starts… by devoting our attention to each other!" Natsu paused as he was panting really heavily from running himself short of breath. "Suh… Sorry for the pausing so much in there. I was kind of making up the words I was saying as I spoke." He rubbed his hair sheepishly. Natsu had stopped crying the moment he remembered what Erza told him. There was no need for tears. Sure, the future wouldn't be the same without his closest Nakama, but it was time he focused on the ones he had with him right now.

Every single guild member was bawling their eyes out and the beautiful speech Natsu gave them. The only one who wasn't was Romeo who was currently jumping up and down on one of the bar's stools. Macao completely fell to his knees in front of Natsu as he could no longer support his own weight. Wakaba and Bisca stood completely dumbfounded as they were still conflicting with their conscious as to whether or not this could all be coming from Natsu of all people. All the other guild members rushed to Natsu and embraced him in a tight hug completely ignoring Macao still on his knees while Wakaba, Bisca, and Alzack stood in shock.

"Nat… Natsu… That was amazing!" Warren patted his shoulder with Laki agreeing with him.

"Where did you learn to give a speech like that?" Kinana teased from below him.

"Now let's put those emotions into some dance moves!" Vijeeter cheered.

"He still can't use his leg Vijeeter." Max groaned.

Before the embracing could get carried away, Macao was able to stagger back to his feet and rush to the small crowd around Natsu. "Give him some room to breathe guys! Make sure you're not bumping his leg." He warned as the group around the young Dragon Slayer slowly began to dissipate upon hearing Macao's words.

"Thanks for that old man." Natsu sighed in relief.

"No Natsu. I should… I mean… We should be thanking you for understanding us."

"It was the least I could do considering how you probably felt all these years."

"It wasn't the least you could do Natsu, it means more to us then you'll ever know." Macao smiled as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You should get some rest Natsu. Porlyusica is going to be here early tomorrow to continue your physical therapy."

"PORLYUSICA!" Natsu gasped as his eyes shot open. "She doesn't know what happened to Gramps and the rest of the Tenrou group."

"It's all right. We'll close up the guild now and tell her over Lacrima before she comes in tomorrow so you don't have to see her reaction. The more rest you get tonight, the more likely you'll be able to walk tomorrow."

"Only if you're okay with it." Natsu replied skeptically before heading back to the staircase leading to the infirmary.

"It'll be fine. We'll see you in the morning Natsu. Remember, if you need anything, you still have that Lacrima if you don't have the energy to use your crutches."

"All right old man. I'm going to suffer from more infirmary rations in the meantime. Goodnight everyone. Just remember what I said if you start to think about the Tenrou Group." Natsu waved with his crutch before making his way down the infirmaries staircase.

" **GOODNIGHT NATSU!** " The group called back as they saw the Dragon Slayer make his way down the staircase.

As they heard the closing of the infirmary's door resound throughout the guild hall, Bisca was the first to break the silence. "You were sure eager to get rid of Natsu considering how much you wanted to tell him about our conversation earlier." Bisca joked towards Macao.

"And you thought that he wouldn't understand how we felt." Macao responded with a confident smirk before getting serious. "Anyways, I had to get him to leave somehow."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I know the perfect candidate for our next Guild Master. I honestly don't know how Natsu would react to it and I didn't want to risk him straining his body any more than he already has. I mean, he nearly fractured his leg again when he fell over earlier today. But that speech he just made made me consider something…" Macao paused as he inhaled before suggesting his next statement. "I want Natsu to be the 4th Guild Master of Fairy Tail."

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** Please don't kill me for the whole "cliché Master Natsu" path this is taking. I already have the next couple of chapters mapped out in my head and can confidently confirm that his role as Guild Master IS GOING to contribute to the theme here. This isn't some title that Natsu walks around with like a badass getting mad respect. He's going to gain knowledge from this experience. That's all I can really say about the upcoming chapters otherwise I would be spoiling too much for you guys. I hope to see you guys then!


	5. Chapter 5 - The 4th Guild Master?

**Author's Note:** NANI?! 100 followers?! I seriously don't know what to say. The past couple weeks, the amount of support I've been getting has never been better... So consider this chapter as the most lackluster repayment I can offer. I personally think my writing is boring and awful which is why I update so inconsistently. Sometimes, I've gotta force myself to write just for you guys even if I plague myself with negativity... Thank you guys for being there to encourage me...

I apologize for the lack of updates for the past couple of weeks. I had no idea how I wanted to form this chapter as I wanted it to address ALL the questions you guys have been dropping in reviews and private messages... And I believe this chapter is DEFINITELY worth the wait.

Currently, I feel comfortable with this chapter length (6K - 8K words). There might be chapters that will be around the 10K range in the future as I will need to include more narration for upcoming arcs that I create, but this is how a general update will look like. If many of you aren't comfortable with the general word count, feel free to drop a review and if I get multiple people agreeing, I'll change my updates up a bit to satisfy the majority.

Let's see if anyone can spot the Robert Frost reference in this; it shouldn't be hard. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then I never said anything. It isn't relevant to your understanding as it's explained.

That being said, I'll be seeing you around!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter five: The 4th Guild Master?**

Silence was all that was present within the Fairy Tail Guild hall. Every member froze in place upon hearing what Macao was then that Wakaba felt it was appropriate to brake the tense atmosphere. "Alright Macao, let's stop joking around now. We can pick up here tomorrow when you aren't so tired." He chuckled before heading towards the guild's entrance.

"Do you think I'm joking about what I said? You heard what was written in Master Makarov's Will. The new Guild Master has to have compassion, wisdom, and the ability to understand his or her Nakama... That sounds like Natsu to me considering that speech he just gave."

"Yeah but you're also forgetting maturity!"

"If you can find me a place in the Will that mentions maturity, I'm willing to let you of all people become Guild Master."

"We can do without the insults yah know? And that's not what I meant! The Will might not say that the Guild Master has to be mature, but we can't have someone completely incompetent at the same time!"

This time, Jet and Droy decided to chip in before Macao could respond. "Actually Wakaba, earlier today Natsu was helping us get a job at the Job Board. You should have heard some of the stuff he was saying about a team's overall strengths and weaknesses. Natsu seemed scarily knowledgeable and competent with team compositions."

"Jet and Droy are right! I was there when Natsu was talking about how to improve their team's strengths!" Romeo chipped in from besides Laki and Warren.

"This isn't about whether or not Natsu is a good fighter, Jet and Droy. This is about whether or not we can entrust him with the state of our guild considering how fragile it is! Bottom line is, Natsu can't possibly be Guild Master because he's too much of a child and he constantly lets his emotions get the better of him. I can't believe I actually had to spell that out!" Wakaba groaned at how stubborn his guildmates were being.

This time, Macao was given the time to respond to his friend's argument. "You're forgetting that he has a heart bigger than any of us and fights to the death for his Nakama on a regular basis. He goes out of the way and puts his life on the line when no one else would out of his own selflessness. If that isn't compassion, I don't know what is! And you heard that speech he gave us. Natsu was able to piece together advice that Erza gave him to help overcome his injuries and tie it to a misconception he apparently had about Porlyusica being less of a guild member than the rest of us. I think it's safe to say that Natsu understands us considering his words of encouragement he said earlier: regardless of how farfetched the majority of it might sound to you."

"Macao, I told you before, that doesn't change the fact that he needs to be serious, patient, and mature about being Guild Master similar to how Master Makarov was! I mean, Natsu couldn't even last five minutes searching for his Will in his office without getting pissed off. If It wasn't for Romeo here, by now we would probably be looking through the dormitories of Fairy Hills for his Will."

"I hate to say it, but Wakaba has a point. I remember Lucy telling me about how Natsu reacted throughout his encounter with that Eisenwald Guild. She told me that that one of Eisenwald's members, Erigor, cast a spell called _**Wind Wall**_ around Oshibana Station to trap Team Natsu so that they wouldn't be able to warn the Guild Masters at Clover Town about Erigor's plans to kill them. Apparently, Natsu was trying to force his way out of the spell even if it completely ripped apart his body!" Warren slightly agreed.

"And what makes you think that those actions have anything to do with Natsu not being able to take being Guild Master seriously? Both of you, how does his actions speak whether or not he can handle the title of Guild Master?" Macao responded to the duo by phrasing his question in multiple ways.

"His lack of maturity and amount of recklessness is what makes me question whether or not he can be handle becoming Fairy Tail's Guild Master. Macao, Even Mest sounded as if he was suggesting it himself in that Lacrima recording he gave us: our guild is extremely fragile right now. Sure, Natsu has the qualities to become Guild Master, but do his qualities really outweigh his flaws considering the state of our guild we're left with?" Wakaba responded.

"Natsu might be immature at times, sure, but we all have flaws as members of Fairy Tail! Hell, even Master Makarov had flaws considering he didn't give us the attention we've wanted at times."

"Macao, this is a flaw we simply can't have right now. I agree with you in some aspects of your argument, like Natsu having the correct traits to be Guild Master, but he also has flaws that I think he SHOULDN'T be Guild Master because of. Even the slightest slip up with one of those traits of his could cost us our guild. That's the problem here that I'm trying to explain to you!"

"What are you implying he could do that could cost us our Guild's Title that he couldn't have done when Master Makarov was still Guild Master? What makes you think Natsu of all people would be responsible for what you're even implying in the first place?"

"Let me see… Could it be the fact that our top mages no longer exist and thus our guild's revenue is completely shot? Could it also be the fact that Natsu is completely reckless as I stated before? Don't believe me? Open your eyes Macao! Natsu was about to waltz out of the guild earlier today to hunt down Acnologia, a dragon which he's never seen before, with a fractured leg he can't even walk on!"

"Wakaba, I know what you're implying by his reckless nature, but the fact is he's slowly maturing. He admitted it himself which is why he felt guilty when he gave that speech; Natsu was closer to the Tenrou Gorup than any of us would have ever been. His anger was justified and he wanted vengeance at that moment. Even if you still believe he isn't quite there yet, we could explain to him why he can't be reckless anymore."

"Please, how many times has Master Makarov tried that in the past? Even when he stole that S-Class Quest for Galuna Island, he still didn't learn from his actions and is always letting his temper and short mind get the better of him. I said it before, but he couldn't last 5 minutes searching for that Will in Master Makarov's office. How would this be any different considering our Guild's title is on the line?"

Before Macao could respond, Laki interjected as she was utterly confused with what both men were implying. "Macao, you just said you understood what Wakaba was implying when he said that our guild's main source of revenue no longer exists. I understand that, but what does that have to do with Natsu's reckless habits?"

Macao responded to Laki before redirecting his attention back to Wakaba. "Wakaba here is saying that our guild is on the verge of bankruptcy as of now considering our main source of income from our S-Class mages no longer exists, which is true… They can't really go on S-Class quests if they no longer exist. That being said, Wakaba's main argument is that Natsu's reckless and immature nature could cost us our guild's title if he ends up destroying something that files us for bankruptcy. And considering our relationship with the Magic Council, I'm pretty sure they would jump on the opportunity to disband us the moment Natsu slips up. But I ask him this," Macao stated as he locked gazes with his best friend again, "Do you honestly think that Natsu would do anything to jeopardize our Guild's title? Wakaba, I am ready to say it now without hesitation or the need to think about any events in the past before making this promise. If you find me an instance where Natsu committed to an act that would have ended Fairy Tail's title as a guild, even the slightest, I am prepared to walk out of this hall and remove my guild mark. The fact is, you originally said that our guild's revenue no longer exists which puts us on the verge of bankruptcy. Your main argument is Natsu's reckless and immature nature which could cost us our title if he ends up destroying something that puts us over that verge of bankruptcy. There's your answer… Natsu has no room to screw up which is why he should be our 4th Guild Master. When he realizes he has no room to screw up, he'll have to improve on his flaws or else WE ALL suffer the consequences. Either way, even if he still was a normal guild member, he still couldn't continue his reckless and immature nature. We can't afford to file for bankruptcy. With that, our title as a guild will also go with it." Macao finished and began to pant slightly.

"You have a point Macao, but I'm still not going to agree with your decision. Think about it… If Natsu snaps the same way he did when Gray talked behind his back at the bar a couple days ago but on a much larger scale, it's all over for our guild. That instance was when his reckless nature got the better of him… And look where he's ended up. Literally, he's ended up in the Infirmary because he recklessly attacked Gray."

"Wakaba, that was before we lost our Nakama. It might have only been a few days ago, but we can no longer return to the way our guild was structured back then. We can't be destroying stuff, acting immature, and choosing not to give a damn about the Magic Council. The fact is, these past few days have been a harsh realization to us all, but I believe Natsu is the one to approach this situation from the correct perspective. We're all in the same boat where we can't destroy stuff and act immature so it's not just Natsu. That's not to say we can't have fun and be rowdy like normal, but there needs to be a sense of awareness as to what's around us. We need to move on from what has happened to our Nakama and hold the same trust in one another that the Tenrou Group did. Because… We're all we have now."

Macao's argument was essentially flawless especially since he referenced Natsu's speech. The condition Fairy Tail was in considering how fragile it was would force Natsu to grow up regardless if he was or wasn't Guild Master. And it wasn't just Natsu who was at fault now: it was the entirety of the members that remained in Fairy Tail. The harsh reality was that none of them could return to the way things were a few days ago. There were no more S-Class mages to provide the guild with income, Master Makarov wasn't there to ensure that Fairy Tail abided by the Magic Council, and their former Nakama were no longer there to provide them with comfort and advice. In fact, guild members such as Warren even began to change their opinions and slowly began to side with Macao once hearing his argument.

"Wakaba, if you're still against Natsu becoming Guild Master, why don't we do a vote to decide if tell him or not?" Kinana suggested as she wanted to end the tension between the men.

"Sorry Kinana, I would have done that from the beginning if that's what I intended to do. But if Natsu is going to be guild master, I want there to be no doubt in anyone's mind that he will perform and meet our expectations." Macao responded before redirecting his attention towards Wakaba. "What else do I need to do to prove Natsu is the right member to be Guild Master?"

Wakaba was put in a very uncomfortable position considering Macao's argument being perfect. And it wasn't because he disliked Natsu in any way shape or form, it was because of his own selfish reasons. "Macao, I remembered when I first joined Fairy Tail with you back when we were teenagers. I know that you said we can't let the Magic Council have more control over us then they did a few days ago, but this is all I have other than my wife. Maybe… It's for the best if we just lie low and abide by the Magic Council. I can't afford to lose the only family I have left which is why I wanted to take no risks at all with our future by making you our next Guild Master. You're the perfect candidate for the title!" He practically begged for an alternative outcome.

"Wakaba, I'm sorry… But that's just not possible. Unless someone else thinks they can handle Master Makarov's position and make a valid argument as to why they would be appropriate, I'm going to continue to support my decision with making Natsu our Guild Master. Master Makarov might have left me in charge, but appointing Natsu to this position won't mean anything to me or to the rest of us if we aren't satisfied with my decision." Seeing as though no one volunteered to take on the daunting task, Macao continued. "Wakaba… it's either Natsu or our Guild is automatically disbanded by the Magic Council in 30 days. As much as you continue to insist, I don't have the requirements to be Guild Master. I wasn't wise to come to the solution that Natsu was able to concerning the lack of attention we've felt we've been given lately. You can call it a risk if you want by supporting Natsu as our next Guild Master, but as I said before, I have full confidence that he will be able to act upon the duties as Master Makarov's successor. Natsu might have the flaw of recklessness and immaturity, but as I said before, we all have flaws: even Master Makarov did because he didn't give us the attention we needed at times. However, I believe that Natsu has flaws that he can improve on with time and experience. And unless we want to get permanently disbanded because of Natsu's flaws, he's going to have to improve on them whether or not he's Guild Master for the sake of our title. Even if he remained a guild member and took jobs like normal, by your logic, what would keep him from becoming reckless again and putting Fairy Tail in bankruptcy as a mage and not as our Guild Master? If that's the case, why is he even a member of Fairy Tail at all? Why are any of us members at all for that matter? Sure, we're not as reckless as him, but we all risk putting the guild in bankruptcy one way or another just by sitting here with our guild marks plastered on our bodies. I mean, we declared goddamn war on Phantom Lord and stormed their guild hall without any strategy to the point where Master Makarov nearly died in that battle. Sure, it was because our Nakama were attacked, but if that's not the definition of reckless, I don't know what is. There's no working around this. Again, you might call it risk, but I see wisdom, compassion, and the ability to understand from Natsu." Macao declared with confidence.

Macao thought that he had his friend completely trumped, but Wakaba had one more pestering thought that was residing in his mind. "So you said before that if I found a time where Natsu risked our title as a guild because of his own actions, you would be willing to go back on supporting your decision?" Wakaba pressed on.

"Without a doubt."

"Then what about the Oracion Seis?"

"What about it? The Magic Council gave us permission to defect the dark guild even if we caused a bit of destruction. In fact, it was the only time they allowed us to." Macao chuckled slightly as he remembered when Team Natsu recalled the events to him.

"No… not that. I mean at the very end when the coalition disbanded. Remember how Jellal was resurrected by Wendy to activate Nirvana? The Magic Council eventually found out that he was still alive even after Nirvana was destroyed."

"And?"

"Aaaannnd… Natsu was willing to attack Magic Council representatives if it meant that Jellal maintained his freedom. That's assault against government officials. Did he think about the rest of his guild members and what would happen to us if we got disbanded?"

"Wakaba, his guild members were the reason for him even doing that in the first place. He considered Jellal one of us even if he wasn't an official member of Fairy Tail. Plus, Jellal didn't even have the conscious to know that he was being used as a puppet at the time during the Tower of Heaven. We just wanted what was best for him at the time."

This time, Nab decided to chip in as Master Makarov told him something that conflicted with what Macao was saying. "But Master Makarov told me a long time ago at the Job Board I was standing at that no one can decide what someone else should do with their life. Erza told us that she supported his decision in the end although she never agreed to it…"

"And what makes you think we were deciding for him? We were trying to defend him from wrongfully being accused from something he had no control over. I mean, Gajeel attacked Jet, Droy, and Levy and we still accepted him in our guild. Are you two saying that we shouldn't view Jellal in the same way?"

"And Natsu thought the best way to do that was by attacking Magic Council representatives?! Don't you remember what Team Natsu was told by the Magic Council representatives that were taking Jellal into custody? Ignorance is no defense against the law. I'm not saying at all that Jellal should have been arrested or even deserved to be, but did Natsu ever consider this from a different perspective? That this is what Jellal wanted all along and that it was for the best? No! He just attacked government officials." Wakaba argued back towards the blue haired mage.

"Might I remind you that the entire Fairy Tail coalition fought against the Magic Council representatives? Every other member besides Erza, who was still too surprised to fight, were equally guilty at the time. The fact is, the Fairy Tail Guild hall isn't what bounds us together as Nakama! Stop acting like it does! You heard what Natsu said; Porlyusica rarely visits, but does that make her any less of a member then any of us? The same applies to Gildarts and Mystogan. Even though Mystogan is now the King of Edolas, he will always first and foremost remain a member of Fairy Tail, and we should be willing to put our lives on the line for them: same as how we did when Jet, Droy, and Levy were attacked by Phantom Lord. I'm not saying that we should throw our title as a guild away, because that ties into our conversation at the bar; we all must understand each other now considering we're the only family we have. If we lose our title as a guild, we'll practically be back at step one where none of us get any sort of attention from one another. I mean, nothing would prevent us from not receiving it anymore as we would probably all go our separate paths. But the fact is, Natsu was trying to prevent that by hanging out with all of us one way or another. Even if we didn't have the time for all of us today, he planned on doing so tomorrow when his leg is hopefully healed. The importance of our guild hall might be more important then ever considering the most recent events that unfolded, but that isn't what holds us together spiritually, and Natsu is beginning to understand that. If it was, then by that logic, Mystogan, Mest, Jellal, Porlyusica, and Gildarts all mean nothing to us!" Macao finished with authority.

At this point, Macao had nothing left to say. He was officially finished. He defended Natsu with every fiber in his body that he could muster. What started out as an argument over whether or not Natsu could be entrusted with the state of Fairy Tail despite its fragile state turned into that of philosophy. This was all because Macao argued that the Guild Hall shouldn't be what holds the heart of Fairy Tail together. After all, if the guild hall was what held Fairy Tail's members together, then the members that rarely visited couldn't possibly be considered members at all by that logic. Sure, Natsu was reckless and immature at times, but he would never put the title of Fairy Tail on the line even if it wasn't the entity that held its guild members together.

And little did any of them know that Natsu just realized earlier today, with the help of Erza and Porlyusica, that there was still a real reason he never jeopardized their title: for some members, like Wakaba and Macao, the Fairy Tail guild hall represents the lack of attention each and every one of them has been feeling lately. Without the Guild Hall or Fairy Tail as a guild, where would there be the opportunity to improve on this? The guild hall meant more to them right now then anyone could fathom, but in the end, they were all still members of Fairy Tail. This something Natsu confirmed earlier today in his speech. It was now a matter of whether or not he would be given the opportunity to act on this: and that would only start if everyone agreed to him becoming Guild Master.

At this point, Wakaba's eye's widened at this realization and many of the guild members, save Romeo as he was still too young to conclude everything, mimicked Wakaba's composure.

Even Natsu knew, although he was no longer with them at this time, that Fairy Tail couldn't be disbanded. Not because they would lose their Guild Hall or title, but because he would be contradicting what he's been striving to do all along. Without the guild hall… How could he provide the attention to those who he promised earlier today without means to do so?

Macao immediately took into account Wakaba's change in composure as it went from one of disgust, disbelief, and even slight hostility to that of guilt. "I think you now know why I want Natsu to be our Guild Master. Fairy Tail might be shot on the verge of bankruptcy and Natsu might have been reckless a couple of days ago, but that isn't the case anymore. Not even because our Guild's title is on the line, but because that would contradict what he's trying to accomplish. What would keep us from going our separate paths if we're disbanded to the point we never truly understand each other? It's going to work Wakaba. There's all the reason it will." Macao smiled while approaching his lifelong friend by the guild's door to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

As the guild's atmosphere began to lighten, many of the guild members began to respond with approval at the events that unfolded. "I'm with Macao! Natsu proved me wrong before when I thought he wouldn't understand our conversation at the bar, so I'm sure he can handle the title of Guild Master!" Bisca chimed.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting him to come to that conclusion also." Alzack agreed. "Macao's right. We're all at fault here, not just Natsu."

Jet and Droy, who had supported Macao's decision from the begninng, simply sighed in relief that the tension between the guild's members was residing. Romeo and even Kinana slightly were beyond excited upon hearing that their role model was gaining the trust of their Nakama. Max, Nab, Vijeeter, Laki, and Warren all stood next to the two adolescents and silently nodded in approval of Macao's argument. All the while Reedus leaned back in his still and observed the events that unfolded from afar.

"I just have one more thing to add…" Wakaba sighed as even he began to agree with Macao. "What makes you think he'll even want to be our new Guild Master even if we all agree with you?"

"He's just like Master Makarov: they both have huge egos. He might be a bit surprised at first, but I'm sure he'll be up to the challenge." Macao smiled as he held out his hand to Wakaba in hopes that they could come to terms with their beliefs.

As Wakaba firmly grasped Macao's hand and shook it, he mustered a hopeful smile as he began to consider that maybe this was the intended future that their guild was destined for. "Sooooo… Now what? We should tell him before he goes to bed since it's getting pretty late." He offered as he released from Macao's grasp.

"Now isn't a good time. We're all emotionally exhausted as is. We haven't had anything to eat all day and what Natsu needs is rest if he wants to be able to walk by tomorrow hopefully. We've been through A LOT and not to mention I still need to notify Porlyusica of what happened concerning the Tenrou Group and the future of Fairy Tail. We'll tell Natsu what we're thinking tomorrow once Porlyusica leaves after his physical therapy session. Let's call it a day and pick up from here tomorrow." Macao finished as he began to yawn slightly and make his way to the staircase.

"Now where are you going?" Wakaba called out to his friend.

"To see if Natsu put the Will back where we found it. I'm also going to contact Porlyusica from Master Makarov's office."

"If Natsu was able to put the Will back where he found it, I'd say that's a huge improvement in maturity from me." Wakaba joked out loud towards Macao who was now on the second floor.

Macao called back down to the second floor before redirecting his attention to his new task at hand. "Hey Laki and Warren? I have a huge favor to ask of you. Would you mind walking Romeo back to his house while I lock up? I left the back door unlocked for him. I'll be home in an hour at most."

"Sure thing Macao!" They called out.

"Thanks guys. We'll pick back here tomorrow when we break the news to Natsu. You all have a safe night now!" Macao responded before reentering the office.

" **BYE MACAO!** " The guild called out while waving towards him as he closed the door behind.

With that, the rest of the members took the next few moments to share their heartfelt goodbyes to one another before dissolving from the guild. There weren't any tears despite what had happened as they weren't necessary. After all, Natsu and Macao were right: if they wanted to move on, then they had to pay attention to the future which held each other within it.

* * *

Scene Change – The Next Day

The Fairy Tail Guild hall had been open for a couple hours now as Porlyusica began to wrap up the physical therapy session with Natsu for today. The entire time they were in each other's presences, Porlyusica hadn't uttered a word to the pink haired Dragon Slayer. All she did was continue tending to his leg while she sat on the stool besides his bed. It wasn't until Natsu couldn't bear the agonizing awkwardness between them did he decide to break the silence.

"Did… Did Macao tell you about what happened with Gramps?"

Porlyusica stopped removing his leg's bandages and froze in the direction she was staring before responding. "Yes… he did. He contacted me over Lacrima when the guild hall closed. That was after you decided to come back down here and eat before going to bed."

"Oh." Natsu responded before another silence dawned upon them.

Porlyusica spoke again shortly as she remembered part of the conversation with Macao concerning Fairy Tail's new Guild Master. "Macao told me before I came down here that he wants you present up at the guild hall when I'm done treating your leg. He plans on deciding the next Guild Master, but he needs to make sure everyone is there before he starts."

"What about you? I mean, aren't you planning on staying to watch who's going to be picked?"

"I don't need to. He told me who he had planned on over Lacrima yesterday." Porlyusica said as her eyes widened in realization of her mistake.

"Wait… So they've already picked someone?!" Natsu said as he shot up from his bed.

"Lie back down! I haven't finished treating your leg yet." She snapped as Natsu followed with her orders. "And No… I mean that he had some people planned, but he can't make the final decision by himself. Master Makarov left him in charge, but even if Macao appointed someone that he approved himself, it wouldn't mean anything unless everyone satisfied with the decision. That's why you're going to be there." Porlyusica finished by sighing as she though she was able to save herself. However, Natsu's next barrage of questions saw right through her lie.

"I'm glad that they're thinking about me… For a minute I thought they picked the next Guild Master without me being there… But then if that's the case… Shouldn't you also be there with us? I mean, you're a member of Fairy Tail also."

Porlyusica was quick to respond as she expected this. "I hate all humans equally. Whether it's Macao or even Vijeeter who's the next Guild Master, it won't make much difference to me. I'm rarely at the guild hall anyways, so any drastic changes concerning the guild's structure won't impact me." Porlyusica completely lied. Truth be told, she was making everything up as she spoke. Macao told her the night before that the Dragon Slayer lying down in front of her was decided to be the next Guild Master of Fairy Tail. However, he instructed her not to tell him as Natsu's reaction to their decision was still unforeseeable.

"That doesn't even make any sense." Natsu sweatdropped at the contradictory response she gave him. "Weren't you the one to say that all members of Fairy Tail have the same importance even if we rarely see some of them? If something is going to impact a constantly active member like me, shouldn't it impact you also?"

"If that's the case, then you should tell your friends that when you're able to head on up to the guild."

Another silence fell between the duo before Natsu directed his attention to Porlyusica again. "Aren't… Aren't you sad Porlyusica? About what happened to the Tenrou Group."

"I didn't know many of the other guild members too well. I already told you that I prefer to live isolated in the forest because I can't stand to see how you humans interact with each other. As for the old coot, I'm glad he passed away the way he did. Would it have been better if he was still with us? Maybe… But he died protecting those he loved and I'm sure he would have no regrets. He lived a long life and left a legacy none of us will forget… But even his time must come to an end. The fact is, nothing gold can stay." She reluctantly stated.

"Nothing gold can stay? What is that supposed to mean?"

"As cruel as it might sound, it means that nothing in this world that is beautiful and perfect can stay that way forever. There's going to need to be change to compensate for the gold that fades away. Not even your best friends on Tenrou Island could have 'stayed gold' forever: meaning that even they had to pass away at some point. That doesn't mean that you can't live on with your friends in your heart, but you've done a good job viewing this situation from a different perspective."

"Which situation… My leg and not being able to go on the S-Class exams or what happened to my Nakama?"

"Both… You're slowly beginning to realize what's needed to move on from what has happened with both situations. You can't dwell in the past forever, and the strives you're making coupled with your actions represent that perfectly."

"Strives such as…" Natsu encouraged Porlyusica to help guide him.

"Yesterday when you were supposed to be able to walk on your injured leg again, I still didn't let you. Despite that, you realized that nothing in your capabilities would allow you to go on the S-Class exams and were able to come to terms with those limitations in the end. As for our most recent loss… Macao told me about that speech you gave last night... I can tell you from what he told me over Lacrima that your little speech definitely altered the perspectives of many of your friends. When I came here this morning, the atmosphere of the guild hall actually felt rather casual and light despite what happened."

Natsu began to fidget slightly as he felt slightly embarrassed by the situation. "I… I never thought about how they would have reacted to what I said. I just tried to cheer them up and give them a little advice considering all that has happened lately. I expected us to be crying for weeks over what happened."

"Well, there'll be plenty of time when I'm done treating your leg to discuss the rest of this with your guildmates." Porlyusica finished as she proceeded to stand up from her seat next to his bed and disassemble the crutches that leaned against it.

"Hey. What are you doing? I still need those!"

"Not anymore you don't. Your leg has finished its recovery process. The fracture has completely healed itself by now and I'm even confident that you can return to taking jobs and using your magic again. Truth be told, I think you would have been able to walk on it yesterday, but that old coot told me you could be reckless at times, so I didn't want you to take the risk of fracturing it again if you strained it too much."

"So… I CAN GO UP TO THE GUILD WITHOUT MY CRUTHCES?!" Natsu yelped as he threw his covers off him and swung his feet over the bed's edge.

"I wouldn't be disassembling these if you still needed to use them." She snorted at his short minded response.

Natsu took this as his cue to jump out of his bed and squeeze the pink haired elder as hard as he could. "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" He hurriedly blurted. "NOW I DON'T HAVE TO EAT ANYMORE OF THAT AWFUL INFIRMARY FOOD!" He finished before separating himself from her. Upon him finishing, a deathly glare was shot down towards the young Dragon Slayer from above.

"You mean the infirmary food that I COOK AT MY HOUSE?!" The old woman growled before grabbing part of Natsu's crutch and beating him towards the infirmary door with it. "LIKE HELL YOU'RE STAYING IN HERE LONGER YOU UNGRATEFUL HUMAN. TELL MACAO THAT I'LL LEAVE THROUGH THE GUILD'S REAR ENTRANCE!"

As Porlyusica opened the door, threw Natsu who was completely confused out into the stairwell, and locked the infirmary door behind him, only one thought crossed Natsu's mind before he headed up to greet his guildmates. _"SHE COOKS THAT GARBAGE?!"_

* * *

As Natsu entered the main guild floor level from the staircase, he was taken back at the change in appearance in front of him. Typically, the benches of the guild sat towards the left and right sides with a rail that separated them from the middle of the guild so people entering the hall could walk freely to the bar at the opposite end of the entrance or either side where the benches were placed. However, all the benches were instead removed from their respective wings and brought to the center of the guild hall where they formed a square; they all had empty table wear placed on them. In the middle of the square laid a simple office desk that currently had two chairs on both sides with Macao sitting in one of them. All other 13 members at the time, save Kinana, Laki, Bisca, and Alzack who were behind the bar preparing lunch, completely filled the square formation with 4 seats besides Romeo set aside for them. The atmosphere was ironically joyous, light, and casual considering the events that unfolded yesterday.

Romeo was the first to spot Natsu's shocked state from the banister and cheered towards his father. "Daddy! Natsu's here!"

Macao turned his head and looked above his shoulder before calling out to the young Dragon Slayer. "Morning Natsu! I saved you a seat in the middle with me. You're just in time because Kinana, Laki, Bisca, and Alzack were just finishing preparing our lunch. We were going to start once you were done with your physical therapy."

As Natsu made his way to the center of the square and sat besides Macao, Wakaba was the first to note his change in appearance. "Shouldn't you have your crutches Natsu?" He asked worried for the Dragon Slayer's condition.

This snapped Natsu out of his surprised daze which was caused by the guild being momentarily reorganized. "Oh yeah! Porlyusica said my leg is all better to walk on it now! Actually, I could have walked on it yesterday, but Gramps made sure to tell her that I was reckless so she didn't take the chance to say I could walk on my leg and hurt myself. That's a relief because I'll finally be able to change out of these clothes I've been wearing for the past couple of days… But that doesn't matter right now since I can spend a lot more time with you guys now like I promised yesterday before I went to bed!"

"Yes! Now you can definitely show me some of your magic later on!" Romeo cheered from his rearranged seat.

"Of course buddy! Sorry for not saying hi to you sooner. The way the guild is organized threw me off because it looks really weird." Natsu rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You weren't the only one surprised with how I organized the guild. Don't worry though, it's only like this so we can discuss Master Makarov's will in depth." Macao responded while looking around the guild for a certain pink haired elder. "Did Porlyusica already leave?"

"Well… When she told me I could finally walk on my leg again, I kind of got carried away and said that I didn't have to eat anymore of that garbage infirmary food. It turns out she's the one who prepares those. I don't think she wants to see any of us now, so she told me to tell you guys that she's leaving out through the rear of the guild towards the sea." Natsu finished while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. This caused Laki who overheard their conversation from the bar and many of the other members to shake their heads in disappointment and annoyance.

Before another conversation could begin, Kinana called out to the others. "That's too bad… She should have stayed a little longer because lunch is ready!" Kinana said as the group behind bar brought out the entrees of food they had prepared. Kinana was balancing multiple pitchers of glistening lemonade, Laki was carrying to trays stacked with cold sandwiches, Bisca was holding a bowl of potato salad and another bowl filled with fries, and Alzack was bringing a tray with peanut butter chocolate fudge slabs stacked in a pyramid.

Natsu immediately perked up as his enhanced smelling identified where the scent was coming from. Before he could respond to the overwhelming flare, Macao spoke from next to him which broke the Dragon Slayer's moment of heaven-sent. "It was Kinana's idea to make us lunch today. She remembered you saying last night that you hated the infirmary rations that you were forced to eat so she wanted to make us food before we started discussing the plans for Fair Tail's 4th Guild Master."

While Kinana filled a glass of lemonade for Natsu to indulge with, the other three members sat the food items they were carrying besides him. Bisca was the first to direct her attention towards the Dragon Slayer. "There's more than enough to go around so help yourself to as much as you want." She smiled down at him before taking a seat with Alzack, Kinana, and Laki sitting next to her.

"Kinana… I don't know what to say." Natsu smiled at her unsurely as she sat down.

"Oh… Err… Don't worry about it. Really! We had no idea that the food Porlyusica made for you tasted as bad as you said it did. I wanted to make it up to you. It's the least we could do considering that speech you gave to us yesterday. Think of it as… The start to our new future." She blushed back at him.

"You've got that darn right!" Natsu flashed a toothy grin back at her. With that, he placed two sandwiches onto his plate, a scoop of potato salad, and a few handful of fries before passing the trays of food towards Kinana as she was the person who went through the trouble preparing the food for them. As the guild members began to pour their own lemonade and help themselves to the food being passed around, Natsu began to devour his meal from his seat in the middle once he noted everyone had served themselves. Macao began to speak to the Dragon Slayer next to him as they placed their cups of lemonade that they were drinking down. "Natsu, do you have any idea why we're talking about?" The blue haired mage asked Natsu with a casual yet serious tone.

"I mean… It should be about who's our next Guild Master, but Porlyusica was acting really weird about it all before she left." He shrugged as he scooped his potato salad with one of his sandwiches before shoveling it in his mouth.

"What do you mean weird?" Macao asked fearing Porlyusica revealed the decision too early.

"For a minute, I thought you already picked someone without me. Porlyusica told me that wasn't the case and that she misspoke. She then said that you were only brainstorming possible people and nothing would be confirmed until now. That's why you guys were waiting for me apparently. Other than that, we just talked about what I said yesterday to you guys. Thanks again old man for waiting until Porlyusica was done treating me before you started!"

"Don't mention it. It's just like you said; you're no less important of a guild member than anyone else in Fairy Tail. As for what Porlyusica told you… Most of what she said was true." Macao stated with slight guilt as Natsu thought that they waited for him before coming to a decision.

"Most of what you said was true?"

"The truth is, we've already decided the person that's going to be our 4th Guild Master."

"Oh… I thought you said that you were waiting for Porlyusica to finish my physical therapy session." Natsu said depressingly as he couldn't help but feel betrayed and slightly forgotten: oh, how wrong he was. "So who is it?" He sighed and slouched in his chair.

Before responding, Macao surveyed all other 13 guild members to see if there was even the slightest hint of hesitation or insecurity on even a single person's face. To his relief, everyone, including Wakaba, was fully immersed in the conversation with most having a serious look on their faces as they were prepared for what was to come; no one was currently eating. Other members, such as Kinana and Romeo, even had bright smiles that they displayed as they couldn't wait to deliver the truth to their role model. As Macao sat up straight and locked eye contact with Natsu, he delivered the inevitable decision that every member besides Natsu had agreed to. "It's like Master Makarov said. The next Guild Master has to have the greatest compassion, most wisdom, and above all: the ability to understand his or her Nakama." He stated as he placed his hand on the confused Dragon Slayer's shoulder. "Natsu, we decided that the 4th Guild Master of Fairy tail should be you."

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** So A LOT of themes are evident within the dialogue littered throughout the chapter. I'm not going to go into them too excessively within this note because I made sure to emphasize my narration after the important dialogue between the important character interactions. So if you feel that this is insufficient to your understanding, I encourage you to reread my narration within the story.

On the surface, Wakaba views Natsu as an immature, reckless child due to his history with events concerning Team Natsu (which are explained within his argument). Now that Fairy Tail's S-Class mages no longer exist, their guild's revenue is completely shot which now places them on the verge of bankruptcy. If Natsu were to perform an act that puts them into bankruptcy linked to his recklessness and immaturity, the Magic Council would of course move on the opportunity to disband the guild (seeing as they are despised by them). However, one of Macao's arguments is that Natsu would never do anything to endanger Fairy Tail's title as a guild, even if that means alternating his personality for the sake of the guild. Whether or not he is guild master, this would be required if it meant that Fairy Tail maintained its title.

Wakaba then provides a counter argument which pertains to when Natsu attacked those Magic Council representatives to defend Jellal's innocence during the Oracion Seis arc. Considering that was direct assault against government officials, Fairy Tail could have been disbanded if they never made amends with Lahar and his squadron. However, Macao responds saying that all members of the Fairy Tail coalition, minus Erza, were only trying to defend who they believed was also a rightful member of Fairy Tail. With Wakaba's argument, why should Natsu even be considered a member of Fairy Tail at all if he would still continue to jeopardize the guild filing for bankruptcy whether he was a member of their Guild Master? Why should any of those present be considered members of Fairy Tail if they all contributed to the same amount of recklessness that could cost Fairy Tail's its title? Sure, the Fairy Tail Guild hall might be important to them along with the title as Fiore's number 1 guild, but it isn't what holds them together as Nakama. Regardless as to whether or not it did, Natsu would be contradicting his earlier speech if he ended up costing Fairy Tail its title as he's striving to effectively communicate with the guild members he's left with.


	6. Chapter 6 - Master Natsu's First Task

**Author's Note:** Enough dillydally! Once you're done reading this chapter, you should all have a general idea of the upcoming arc: and you can bet that these next 7 years are going to be interactive concerning Fairy Tail's future. For some reason... I really feel that I left a plot hole out in this chapter. Maybe it was because I was able to complete in astonishingly fast... But if anything seems out of the ordinary AT ALL, please feel free to notify me.

That being said, the next chapter I upload is going to be much more involved with putting Master Natsu's words into action. Consider this, 40K words in and the scene is finally set for some action and major plot progression to begin! And this chapter will give you a large idea of the foreseeable future I have planned for the Fanfiction. You'll understand what I mean by that when you're finished with this chapter. Remember, every theme up until this point will most likely form the chassis for the rest of During Those 7 Years.

Furthermore, if you think there's anything I can improve on, I'm more than open when it comes to accepting reviews as long as they're constructive. Even when I thought that I had a solid framework for this chapter, everything I ended up writing was subjected to change in one form or another; it's never too late for you to see your ideas incorporated into my writing style!

Thank you all for reading as usual. I'll be seeing you guys around!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter six: Master Natsu's First Task**

Natsu loved food. However, the revelation he just received prevented him from swallowing the morsels that were still in his mouth. He was eventually able to reluctantly swallow the food that made its way to the back of his throat before he slowly stood up from his seat and began to turn in a circle at his desk to inspect the facial expressions of the other 13 members around him. If he didn't believe Macao at first, the looks on his Nakama's faces confirmed the unexpected turn of events for him. Every guild member present had a look of hopefulness, confidence, and that of comfort which made the Dragon Slayer grow lightheaded as he realized that Macao was indeed telling the truth all along.

Before he completely lost the ability to stand, he collapsed back into his desk's chair before making eye contact with Macao again. "You're not lying… I can see it in their eyes." Natsu hushed as he was utterly confused.

"Why wouldn't I be. You're the next Guild Master." Macao comforted him.

"I'm not though… No… I can't be Guild Master."

"But you are." Bisca leaned towards him from her seat. "What in the world makes you think you wouldn't be the correct person?"

"She's right Natsu. We didn't tell you earlier because we didn't know how you would react, but we never expected you to be disappointed with our decision." Macao frowned.

"It's not that… It's just that… Have you ever came back from a job only for your closest friends to say how you completely screwed it up? For them to say that you're the reason they didn't walk away with the full profit? News flash, it begins to stick with you." Natsu referred to his reckless nature on jobs.

"We'll address that that in a bit Natsu. But you're looking at this from the wrong perspective… Wasn't Erza the one to tell you not to do that in the first place?" Macao smiled.

"What other way is there to look at this?" Natsu groaned.

"Well… Stop looking at the reasons why someone wouldn't want you to be Guild Master and instead the reasons why someone would want you to be Guild Master." Macao suggested. The confused look written on Natsu's face was enough for him to continue. "What I'm saying is that Master Makarov wrote in his Will that the next Guild Master needs to have certain traits that can be contributed to them. For starters… The Will stated that Master Makarov's successor needs the greatest compassion, wisdom, and ability to understand his or her guild Nakama."

"Go on." Natsu reluctantly stated.

"In terms of compassion, you consistently put your own safety out of selflessness for others. I experienced that first hand on Mt. Hakube." Macao stated which caused Natsu to raise his eyebrow as he was intrigued. "You've seemed to have forgotten that I was stuck on Mt. Hakube under that Vulcan's possession spell for days without anything other than the hope that a member of Fairy Tail would come and eventually rescue me. When you ended up freeing me from that Vulcan's spell, I realized you were willing to risk your life trekking through one of the most dangerous mountains if Fiore if it meant that my little Romeo got to see his old man again." Macao said as he reached over and ruffled his son's hair. "Plus, I'm pretty sure we all remember the Battle of Fairy Tail where you risked your life just to stop Laxus from becoming the next Guild Master. It was all just so he didn't ruin the legacy that Fairy Tail stands for. You nearly died during that battle you had with him, but you didn't stop fighting for your Nakama even when Levy said she was nearly begging you to stop if it meant you didn't die."

As Natsu began to contemplate and reflect over the trait that Macao pointed out, his train of thought was interrupted by Jet and Droy this time. "Macao's right. As crazy as you might think this sounds, you're pretty wise Natsu. Remember yesterday evening? You were able to give us helpful advice on how to improve our team composition with what we're now left with."

This time, Nab decided to contribute and build off of what Jet and Droy's stated. "Think about what you told me at the Job Board with them Natsu! You were able to inspire me to take my first job as a member of Fairy Tail! You said that I shouldn't be worried about me goofing up considering every one of us does it from time to time. I mean, you were the one to tell me that Magnolia Town needed to be reconstructed just so Gildarts could walk through the city without destroying it! If you don't consider what you told me wisdom, I don't know what is."

Macao interjected to piece together parts of Master Makarov's will. "And your wisdom kind of relates to the last trait that Master Makarov instructed in his Will, and that's the ability to understand your Nakama. Do you remember that speech you gave yesterday Natsu?" Macao continued for his friend.

"Of course I remember it! I meant every word that I told you guys. Just because some of Fairy Tail's members rarely visit or don't interact with others as much doesn't make them any less important than the ones you see on an everyday basis. After that, I mentioned Erza telling me that there was a reason for me not being able to go on the S-Class exams. That reason was to explain to you guys why it's so important for us to move on from losing the Tenrou Group. Erza was able to do it when she lost Rob, Jellal, and Simon… So why not us…?" Natsu's eyes widened at what Macao was using to defend him.

"That's it right there. Not only did your speech represent wisdom considering you were able to help us view the loss of our family in a different perspective as you gave us a way to move on from that event, but it also represents your ability to thoroughly understand what we've been going through in terms of the attention we've been getting." Macao said. "You were wise enough to realize the situation at the bar we wanted to talk to you about by yourself. Not only that, but your actions over the past two days represent you trying to make an effort to relate to us better! You've been devoting time to each and every one of us individually ever since yesterday as a way to make up for the lost time we've missed together! Might I add, that was even before we lost our Nakama on Tenrou Island which means you've genuinely trying to relate to the members which you rarely interact with. In the end, you were wise enough to come to a solution to our problem that I had absolutely no idea on how to approach!" Macao finished.

"So you're saying that you want me to be Guild Master because of my compassion, wisdom, and my ability to understand you guys?" Natsu said in a low tone.

" **YES!"** Every guild member resounded in hopes that the young Dragon Slayer would accept the title.

"There's one thing I still don't get… Every time I went on a job with them, Team Natsu called me reckless and immature for screwing up… What if I screw up and do something that gets us disbanded? Why'd you pick me even though I have these flaws when that possibility will always here when I'm Guild Master?"

Kinana was the first to chime in without hesitation. "For starters… Even if you do have a reckless and immature nature at times, what makes you think that every other member of Fairy Tail is perfect other than you?"

"Oui! I remember you stating yesterday in your speech that you felt guilty for Master Makarov not giving us the attention we needed at times especially since some of us view our relationships with each other as physical aspects!"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything right now Reedus?" Natsu asked confused.

"You shouldn't sell yourself short for flaws when even Master Makarov had them! You said it yourself, there were times where he didn't give us the attention we needed which is a flaw that impacted our perspective we thought he had of us."

"Yeah! But you're forgetting that I was also someone who overlooked you guys also!" Natsu retorted.

"But we've been having so much fun with you Natsu! You taught me all about teams yesterday and spent so much time hanging out with us." Romeo added from his seat.

"He's right Natsu! That loops back around into what I previously said… Even if you overlooked us in the past and consider that a flaw of yours, you've been trying to improve on that ever since yesterday! You've been giving each and every one of us the individual attention we wished we had when Master Makarov was Guild Master… You were wise enough to come to the conclusion as to why we were feeling the way we did and even proposed a solution that none of us were able to come up with!" Macao repeated what he said from before.

Natsu slowly began to realize the reasons as to why everyone was so supportive of him becoming Guild Master. Not only has his strives to interact with his guildmates that he rarely did in the past derive from wisdom considering he pieced together why his guildmates were feeling that way in the first place, but also as a way to understand what they've been facing concerning the lack of attention Master Makarov gave them by providing them with comfort and a solution. He wasn't against him taking the position, he was just surprised as to the confident decision his Nakama gave him concerning his flaws. There was one thing, however, which Natsu still considered so glaringly obvious to him that no amount of improvements from Master Makarov could overshadow.

The next thing that Natsu stated came as a shock to all considering the confidence and brazen nature the Dragon Slayer tended to have on a daily basis. "The thing is… It doesn't matter how much I interact with each and every one of you… There's one fact that I shouldn't be Guild Master because of. What if I screw up like I've been doing with Team Natsu? How do you know that I won't screw up with my reckless nature and put us into bankruptcy? What if I'm no different than as the immature idiot that Team Natsu viewed me?" Natsu questioned out loud as self doubt ushered over him.

Macao took no time to firmly grasp Natsu's shoulders and stare into his black eyes before speaking the most inspirational speech that any of the guild members sitting in front of the duo had ever heard. "Natsu! You are the most compassionate guild member here which is why I'm appointing you to be our next Guild Master! You said it to Nab yourself yesterday at the job board; you can't worry about screwing up even if you used to do it all the time. You even told us in your speech yesterday that Erza said we can't dwell in the past forever. The past was filled with us being reckless and immature… Not just you! But we all need to move on from that and improve with who and what we're given. Maybe you consider yourself more at fault than the rest of us concerning those flaws and maybe that's true. Regardless, it sounds to me as if you're telling me all these years I've known you, you'd be willing to jeopardize Fairy Tail's title as a guild even when we need each other the most?! You would never do that because it would contradict what you've been trying to accomplish which is trying to understand your Nakama better! What would keep us from going our separate paths and from you never truly being able to provide our guild with the comfort that you promised us yesterday?"

As Macao paused waiting for an answer, all Natsu could do was absorb everything he was being told. Seeing as though Natsu wasn't going to supply a sufficient answer, Macao continued. "I'm not worried about your reckless and immature nature even though our guild's title depends on if you have the willpower to improve on your flaws. That's something I know you have the urge and capabilities of accomplishing whether or not you become Guild Master just for the sake of our guild living on and because of your promise you made to Fairy Tail! Every one of us sitting around me is confident that you can be trusted with the state of this guild considering your reckless behavior in the past, but that starts with you truly embracing what Erza and Porlyusica told you which is moving on to improvise with what we're given! You said it yourself, we're all equally important to each other which is why you're doing everything you have been, but the Natsu Dragneel I know would never hurt his friends. That's the reason why I have no doubt you will meet my highest expectations as someone who I consider to be my son alongside Romeo. If Fairy Tail is disbanded… Wouldn't that be braking your promise? That's not a member of Fairy Tail thing, that's a Natsu Dragneel thing… And last time I checked…? Natsu Dragneel doesn't break promises."

Although the guild hall was left in a complete state of awe, every one of the guild members knew what Macao said was true: even Wakaba admitted it ever since Macao was able to convince him that Natsu would meet everyone's expectations as Master Makarov's successor come time.

As Macao finished his argument which he hoped would persuade Natsu as to why he needed to be the 4th Guild Master, the past couple of days began to transverse through the Dragon Slayer's mind as he pieced everything together starting from his conversation with Erza that stemmed from their moments on the beach after the defeat of Jellal. _"_ _I don't go around everyday thinking that Rob and Simon are dead. I remember that I live on because of them."_ Natsu remembered that he was the one to teach her that. Not only was he oblivious to the wise words he gave her (a trait that Master Makarov encouraged in his Will), but in this case, Natsu realized that he can't go around doubting himself for the recklessness and immaturity he caused in the past… Because the future said if he didn't improve on these factors, there would be no future of Fairy Tail.

Natsu continued to ponder how he coped with not being able to go on the S-Class exams which once again derived from Erza's words of encouragement. _"Just approach your situation from another angle."_ In terms of the events that had most recently unfolded concerning the loss of the Tenrou Group, he remembered that what Macao told him just now was true. Erza was able to overcome the loss of Simon, Jellal, and Rob, so why not Fairy Tail? After all, Natsu was the one to help Fairy Tail start this transgression yesterday by quoting the advice Erza gave him within his speech.

Lastly, Natsu remembered what Porlysucia told him when he was still in the infirmary and how it related to his wisdom and ability to understand his Nakama considering he was trying to improve on what Master Makarov could not accomplish during him being Guild Master. _"Just because some of your members rarely visit doesn't make them less important than the ones you see on an everyday basis._ " The Dragon Slayer ultimately realized that this all related to how Macao was right. Natsu not once jeopardized Fairy Tail's title as guild in the past, and he would be damned if he was about to let his reckless and immature nature be the cause of not being able to succeed at what he started. He'd been trying to accomplish over the past few days what he felt was not represented by what Porlyusica told him beforehand: interact and form bonds with the family he's left with. Without Fairy Tail, what would prevent his Nakama from going their separate paths to the point where he wasn't able to fulfill the promise he made to them? After all, Natsu Dragneel doesn't break promises. This was all the definition of what Erza told him in the infirmary: move on from your past and find your new purpose in life. What if that purpose, everything that Erza and Porlyusica said, led up to where the young Dragon Slayer was right now? There was only one answer that he could bring himself to accept.

As everyone continued to state towards Natsu as he utilized his entire brainpower to analyze the situation that was presented to him by Macao, he stood up straight with authority which caused Macao to remove his hands from his shoulders. As Natsu came to his resolution, the eight words that resounded throughout the guild hall were of hope, confidence, and absolute determination as they changed his life forever. "Let's do it. I'm all fired up now."

The guild's atmosphere immediately took a 180 degree turn upon the words being registered into everyone's minds. All the adult guild members who were sitting down stood up to applaud for the event that unfolded. Romeo bolted upright with Kinana, embraced her, and jumped up and down with each other in their arms as they couldn't wait for the future that would be paved under their role model's guidance. Macao and Wakaba turned towards each other, leaned over the bench that separated them, and embraced one another in a man hug followed with patting each other on the back.

Vijeeter was the first one to respond to the situation using words. "Let's hear it for Master Natsu!" He hooted aloud which caused everyone to replicate similar words of encouragement. As everyone enjoyed the moment, all Natsu could muster was a tearful smile as he still couldn't fathom the immense support and confidence his Nakama had in him. There were no words he could muster to describe the moment. Minutes after Natsu's declaration, the momentous event slowly began to simmer down which was signaled by Macao retaking his seat followed by Natsu and the rest of the guild members present.

"I know everyone's excited, but we still have to discuss some important stuff before Master Natsu officially becomes Guild Master." Macao jokingly winked towards the Dragon Slayer as the last of the applause faded.

"C'mon dad! Just make him Guild Master already." Rome pouted.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Nothing right now is official until it's approved by the Magic Council."

Natsu cursed under his breath. "I forgot about those bastards… What am I going to say to them?" He finished by groaning.

"Don't worry, you still have 29 more days until then. That being said, I hate that this has to be the case, but you're going to have to travel to the Magic Council Fiore Branch to contact the Magic Council when the time comes. It'll probably take a day to accomplish. The trip isn't long, you could easily walk it considering it's a couple miles outside Magnolia Town, but I have no idea how long they'll want to speak to you. Don't confuse this with their headquarters that are still residing in Era. You should know where it is like the back of your hand. Do you remember that time where you stormed that building in the middle of Erza's trial after the Team Natsu defeated Lullaby?"

"Don't remind me…" Natsu muttered.

"That's the Nation Council Fiore Branch. It's much closer than if you were to travel to Era. I mean, I was able to disguise myself as you long enough for you to make your way to her trial. That being said, there's a couple things you should know about the representatives of the Magic Council themselves."

"You mean stuff that could help me convince them to let me become Guild Master?"

"Exactly. Natsu, I can't stress how important it is to pay attention to the next details I'm about to tell you. It could be the reason they allow you to become Guild Master or reject our decision."

"Got it. Now what kind of details are we talking about?"

"All 9 members that were seated on top of that podium during Erza's trial used to be apart of the Magic Council. All of those nine members mean nothing when it comes to you meeting them aside from one. Again, I'll get there in a bit. The 10th one, the chairman, was on a podium around double the height of theirs."

"I think I know what you're talking about. He was that really large guy with a hat that shadowed his face the entire time. How do you even know about all of this?"

"Erza told me." Macao chuckled remembering the events that unfolded. He then returned to his serious attitude and continued. "Now here's the important part. The Magic Council disbanded themselves after the whole incident with the Tower of Heaven because they felt embarrassed for allowing two of its members to infiltrate their ranks as representatives. One of them was obviously Jellal as he used his status as a Magic Council representative to activate the R-System, as for the other, all we know is that it was some chick who can use **Time Magic**. The Magic Council eventually reformed after the turmoil involving the incident simmered when the King of Fiore felt like he needed to assign new members that were more competent to fill the missing roles. Only one of the original members of the Magic Council remain now… His name is Org. When you originally defeated the Oracion Seis, I overheard Master Makarov speaking over Lacrima with the other Guild Master's saying that there was the possibility of the coalition being charged with forming an illegal alliance. However, I suspect it was Org who was ultimately able to convince the new Chairman, Gran Doma, not to disband us seeing as our efforts were a success."

"But why was he helping us?"

"I'm almost there. Unfortunately, I don't know much about anyone other than Org and the new Chairman. They're quite the discreet bunch. But Natsu, you need to focus on Org and Gran Doma during you meeting with the other eight members. Org used to completely despise Fairy Tail… But he's always valued human life regardless of how little or annoying said person may be. Remember Etherion and the Tower of Heaven? He harshly turned against firing the weapon as it would wipe out any inhabitants living on the shore. It wasn't until you successfully stopped Nirvana did he come to support Fairy Tail and view us in a much softer light as you saved the remnants of Cait Shelter and any nearby inhabitants. Apparently, he respects us for being able to prevent casualties without the Magic Council needing to intervene."

"Now what about Gran Coma? You said I needed to focus on Org and him…"

"As much as I hate to say it, Org might be able to support you and sway Gran Doma slightly, but he's sadly just like the other eight members: worthless in terms of individual power. This is why you need to first and foremost persuade Gran Doma's ultimate decision; remember, he's the Chairman now. Gran Doma absolutely despises Fairy Tail. When the King of Fiore reformed the Magic Council so he could continue his role as a figurehead, he needed to insure that authority lied with the Magic Council once and for all. Gran Doma does not tolerate any lawbreaking whatsoever. In regards to the Oracion Seis incident, he would have jumped on the opportunity to disband us if it weren't for Org making a justifiable case that represented our actions. Apparently, Gran Doma has warned us that if we commit such an action again, he will force Fairy Tail to disband."

"Jeez… If Gran Doma hates Fairy Tail so much, how in the hell are we going to convince him for Natsu to officially become Guild Master considering all the shit we've given him in the past?" Max groaned as he once again brought up Natsu's original concern.

The next statement from Natsu caused the guild members to gape in awe. "Honestly guys… The day is still young. I mean, it's just past noon. If we're all done here, you think I can make the run to the Magic Council Fiore Branch right now? The faster we can get this done, the faster we can move our attention to our top priority which is the condition of our guild."

"Natsu, I thought you were ready to move past your reckless nature? Max said it loud and clear. You've gotta think about what you're going to say to them. Not only that but you haven't changed your clothes since you were injured!" Macao scolded.

"Who said I didn't know what I was going to say? Plus, I've gone longer without changing my clothes. It happens whenever I train for multiple days. I've been inside all this time so I'm surprisingly clean as is." Natsu challenged with a smirk before turning to Romeo. "Hey buddy? I know I promised you to show you my magic today… But could it wait until after I ran to the Magic Council? I have a plan and if I can get the Magic Council on my side, I think everyone will be able to benefit from what I have planned." He said as he stared into the young boy's eyes with sincerity.

"That's fine, but whatisitwhatisitwhatisit?" Romeo begged.

"Don't worry about it now… It's still a bit of a hunch… But it just might work. I don't want to make any promises until I know I can convince them to be Guild Master."

"Aww man… Now I really want to know." Max frowned.

"Oui! This intrigues me also! Please tell us!" Reedus begged as he liked where this was going.

"Well, I was able to piece it together while listening to the important details Macao was telling me. But seriously, don't worry about it. It's all still a hunch, but I have a feeling it'll work in the end. I don't want to make any promises until I return as the new Guild Master of Fairy Tail… I will say this though, what do you think of when you hear the Magic Council?"

"I think of a bunch of assholes who snuck into our guild. Sure, Mest wasn't to blame, but the fact Gran Doma would go this far makes my blood boil…" Alzack muttered.

"That's the thing… What if we didn't think of them like that? What if we actually cooperated together so nothing like the events of Tenrou Island can ever happen again. What if I told you guys this can all start with that speech I told ya'll yesterday."

"Natsu, I hate to say it, but Gran Doma isn't the type of guy to listen to inspirational sob stories." Macao chuckled.

"Don't worry, it relates to a much bigger idea." Natsu smirked smugly. "You said you trusted me when you encouraged me to be Guild Master… Is that true?"

"Without a doubt." Macao responded with a deathly seriousness.

"Then I'll be back by nighttime." Natsu stated as he stood up from his seat.

"Wait… Who's in charge? What do we do about Master Makarov's office?" Macao barraged him with questions as the sudden change in atmosphere left him dumbstruck.

"No one needs to be in charge… I'll only be gone for the rest of the day. As for Master Makarov's office, leave it as it is… I've already have some plans for that also. I'll be back when I'm officially Guild Master… And I'm not saying that to boost my confidence; I have a hunch that what I'm going to tell them will more than serve as an argument as to why I should be Guild Master. On an off topic note, do you still have that Lacrima you used to contact Porlyusica?" Natsu questioned.

"Yeah... Uh- Its right here." Macao stuttered as he pulled the orb from his coat's pocket. "Why do you ask?"

"Contact me if you need anything. I still have mine on me. You can never be too safe." Natsu instructed. Before he could take his leave, another guild member spoke as he was worried about Natsu's decision.

"Natsu… This is the deciding factor as to whether what we agreed on will mean anything in the end… Are you sure this is what you want?" Wakaba worriedly asked.

"Positive. The fact is, what reason do they have not to appoint me as Guild Master? You guys answered that yourselves." Natsu smirked before turning his back to his Nakama. As he headed towards the guild's door while leaving his guildmates with his parting words, he momentarily looked back over his shoulder to flash them his signature toothy grin before holding up his hand with his thumb and index finger outstretched.

As he left the guild hall and was completely out of earshot, Macao said one thing to the rest of the guild members left dumbfounded with their congealed lunches on their plates. "We trust you, Natsu."

"You should have stopped him yah know? I don't think he understands what he's getting in to. He's still new to this entire 'Guild Master' thing." Wakaba added.

"He's our Guild Master now and we've gotta respect his decision. Remember? We've gotta have faith in the actions that he performs for the sake of Fairy Tail. He wouldn't have left if he was just going to blow our title, and I have no doubt he'll come back as our official Guild Master. And ultimately, he's right; what reason does the Magic Council have to not appoint him as Guild Master considering the state of our guild? Unless he wants to get us disbanded, he can't be pestering the council with his reckless behavior anymore. There's your reason." Macao concluded with a smile before returning to his meal with the rest of the guild members following him in silence.

* * *

Scene Change – Magnolia Forest

Natsu had been steadily jogging through Magnolia Forest for two hours now contemplating and refining the details he was going to say to the Magic Council representatives. _"This is going to work… They have no reason to turn me down."_ Natsu confidently stated within his mind as he noticed the setting sun behind the tree line he was jogging towards. He knew where the Magic Council Fiore Branch was located well enough considering he had been there once in the past. It was even more in his favor that he didn't need to take transportation to travel there thanks to its close proximity to Magnolia Town. That meant he didn't need to get motion sickness and risk interfering with what he was going to say to his superiors.

As the Dragon Slayer approached the end of the tree line and exited it, he found himself standing in a rather large clearing with nothing around but a massive building towering in front of him. The building had a cylinder base with large square windows. At the top of the building the structure spread out into a bowl. Above the bowl were floating panels that circled the outside of it with the middle being occupied by a dome sitting on a raised platform.

"Yup… This is definitely the place." Natsu sweatdropped as he gazed upon the outlandish structure. He briskly continued to the large double doors that resembled those at the Fairy Tail Guild hall and used the door knocker to rap against the barrier.

" **ThudThudThud!"** Natsu heard resound through the clearing. After seconds of patient waiting, the doors were opened simultaneously granting Natsu access to the interior.

* * *

The interior of the Magic Council Fiore Brach, similar to the exterior, was absolutely massive and detailed. The floor beneath Natsu was layered with marble and the structure had a high ceiling with a curved roof coupled with arched pillars to provide décor and support for the building. In front of him was a very long hall that stretched to the opposite end of where he was standing. Just to the front right of him was a wooden desk with a froglike amphibian in Magic Council attire awaiting to assist him.

"May I help you sir?" The Magic Council employee called out.

As Natsu made his was to where the desk was, he responded. "My name is Natsu Dragneel. I'm a member of the Fairy Tail Guild hall." He stated by turning his body to show her his guild mark plastered on his right arm. "Our guild hall is in need of a new Guild Master and I was told to come here to meet with the Magic Council members concerning our predicament."

"Of course! The Magic Council representatives were expecting a member to arrive sometime in the next month and told the front desk to keep an eye out for them. Unfortunately, they are stationed in Era right now and cannot travel here at this time. However, they told me that they can use _**Thought Projections**_ that can relay their thoughts and appearances to this Fiore Branch. Let me contact them to see if they are ready to communicate with you. In the meantime, please feel free to take a seat." The froglike amphibian gestured to the chairs on the other side of the hall.

"Thanks so much!" Natsu bowed before walking over to take a seat offered. As he sat down and began to get comfortable, he rehearsed his argument that he planned to present to the Magic Council members one last time just in case they questioned his abilities to act as Fairy Tail's next Guild Master. Right as he finished, the Dragon Slayer heard the Magic Council employee call out his name.

"Mister Dragneel? The Magic Council members just finished their trial that was assigned to them. They are ready for your anointment. Please continue down this hall to the opposite side. The first door at the end of this corridor will contain a court room that the Magic Council uses to conduct trials for Mages. In this case, they'll be using it to consider you for Guild Master."

"Thank you so much for your time." He bowed once again before walking down the long hallway. Despite how large important the Magic Council Fiore Branch was, Natsu noted that the interior was shockingly simple. Aside from the long corridor, there were only a row of large double doors to the right of him. "Heh… No wonder I was able to find Erza's court room so easily the last time I stormed this place." He chuckled to himself. As Natsu began to approach the final set of double doors, he began to change to a more serious demeanor. He was after all moments away from meeting some of the most important citizens of Fiore.

Once he was sure that he fully regained his composure, he used the metallic door knocker to alert the Magic Council members inside of his presence. Immediately after, the wooden doors were opened by a pair of Magic Council Rune Knights who gave him access to the well lit room before exiting and closing the doors behind him in order to give those inside privacy.

As Natsu entered the room, he nearly gasped as Nostalgia ushered over him. Only one thought ran through his mind. _"This was the room Erza had her trial in. They must have rebuilt the entrance I broke down since this one doesn't look familiar."_ He thought with a shocked tone and couldn't help but inwardly smile. Natsu quickly shook his sentimental thoughts away as he looked up to the large podium that housed his superiors. Nine of them were sitting on the same raised podium he yelled up to when he interrupted Erza's trial. The irony was unbearable considering he'd come here to prove to himself and his Nakama how mature he was willing to become now which contrasted from his first visit where he demolished the entrance.

Natsu continued to take into account the expressions on the nine faces above him while he walked towards the balustrade that Erza stood within when she was accused. He noticed that every Magic Council member towering above him were all stoic and void of emotion aside from one man sitting in the middle. The man was elderly yet tall, had a large mustache paired with a beard that were both white, all the while being bald on the top of his head. The man's attire consisted of multiple white robes that signified affiliation with the Magic Council. The feature that contrasted him from the other nine members present was that he had a genuine smile pasted on his face, albeit small.

" _That's gotta be Org."_ Natsu concluded as the smile most likely signified his respect for Fairy Tail. As his gaze shifted upwards momentarily, he noticed a 10th member perched atop an even larger podium that looked similar to Org. This man was wearing a wizard's hat, had a staff resting against his seat, an equally long mustache and beard that were both grey, just as tall, and wore similar robes to Org although this man's attire was completed with light clad armor. _"Gran Doma."_ Natsu concluded.

Before he could continue, the voice atop of the largest podium resounded towards him. "Natsu Dragneel, state your business." Gran Doma declared.

"Hey, how do you know me?" Natsu dumbly asked as he was taken away by the man's powerful voice. He instantly regretted that as he forgot the froglike employee at the front desk most likely informed the chairman of his identity.

"Considering the amount of ruckus Fairy Tail has caused over the years under Master Makarov's leadership, it would be hard not to forget such a name." Gran Doma responded as he held up a stack of paper work titled Fairy Tail Property Damage.

"Err... I'm here to declare that I have been decided by my guildmates to be the 4th Guild Master of Fairy Tail." Natsu confidently spoke while cringing inwardly as he gazed upon the intimidating stack of paper work.

"Natsu Dragneel… I assume you have an argument as to why we should uphold the decision of your guildmates? What reason do we, members of the Magic Council, have to appoint Fairy Tail's most notoriously unruly mage as their Guild Master?"

Natsu simply smiled as everything was falling right into place. He stood up tall and spoke with confidence as any tension caused by his first remark were eased form his mind. "Because… You have no reason to not appoint me." He stated this as he thought of the argument Macao used to defend him at the guild hall.

Gran Doma immediately scoffed at this response. "PLEASE! Your damage alone totaled to around 53% of your guild's property damage charges. To put that into perspective, if we added every other Fairy Tail Guild member legally documented, they would still fail to amount to the charges you have received as an individual. Regardless as to the fact that Fairy Tail was able to repay for these charges using their revenue, citizens have begun to question the effectiveness of our government considering the amount of lost labor that goes into repairing reversible damage. The last thing we Magic Council members need is Fairy Tail's most unruly mage serving as a catalyst for the rest of your members to follow in your footsteps. This would only increase the amount of property damage dealt exponentially! How do you respond to that considering how fragile the Magic Council is progressively becoming?"

"I've got it _."_ Natsu thought to himself before speaking out loud. "Gran Doma, regardless as to whether or not I am Guild Master, I don't think I'll be able to continue my reckless and destructive nature... But do you know about the events that have recently happened on Tenrou Island?"

Instead of Gran Doma responding, Org spoke aloud to the Dragon Slayer. "Mister Dragneel, Doranbolt and Lahar informed us as soon as they finished notifying Fairy Tail. My apologies for your loss." He sincerely added.

"Thanks, Org. We're gonna try our best to move on." Natsu optimistically bowed before returning his attention to Gran Doma. "As for what Doranbolt and Lahar said, that should show you why I am unable to continue my reckless, immature, and destructive nature. Our guild hall is on the verge of bankruptcy without our S-Class mages providing our guild with a steady source of income. Back when Master Makarov was our Guild Master, he would simply pay for damages and sign a few legal documents if we destroyed anything. Whether I'm a guild member or our Guild Master, if I screw up and file us for bankruptcy, you'll will get what he's always wanted."

"Oh…?" Gran Doma raised his eyebrow as he was intrigued.

"You'll have your reason to disband Fairy Tail considering we have no way to pay off depth." Natsu declared while facing his superior.

"Mister Dragneel, might I add that is an intriguing source of collateral." Org stoked his beard while making eye contact with him.

"Yes… Indeed." Gran Doma responded. "But with all due respect, I'm going to need another source of collateral that contrasts from what you've initially offered. As I've stated before, the structure of the Magic Council concerning Fairy Tail's destructive behavior in the past leaves us in a very fragile state. What if you fulfill your promise for some time now and revert back to your unruly nature on a dime's notice? There will be turmoil in the capital for failing to keep an eye out for things like these."

"As I said before, the state of the Magic Council and the Fairy Tail Guild hall are in the same position. We're both extremely fragile. I mean, you said it yourself. That's exactly the reason why I need to be appointed as Guild Master. A couple days ago, I severely fractured my leg which prevented me from going on Fairy Tail's annual S-Class exam on Tenrou Island. The person who nursed me back to health told me something that could have the potential to benefit the both of us! She said that 'Just because some of my guild members rarely visit doesn't make them less important than the ones you see on an everyday basis.' However, that is something I've failed to neglect for some time now and I promised my guildmates that I would live up to what she said."

Natsu paused to see if anything he was saying made sense to the Magic Council members. The confused looks on their faces encouraged him to continue.

"If my guild hall is disbanded, I won't be able to keep my promise I made to my guildmates. This can not only benefit the Magic Council along with my guild which I'm trying to improve emotionally and structurally, but every other guild in Fiore if they follow in our footsteps. This way, no other guild will be at risk of being in this weak position like Fairy Tail and the Magic Council are in right now! By working together, we can insure that you and I both get what we want. I get to keep my guild, and you get to maintain your power! And that starts with me being Guild Master, as that will help me complete my own personal reason: understanding and giving attention to my guildmates!"

This time, a woman around the age of Porlyusica sitting to the far side of the podium responded to Natsu's argument. "I personally fail to see where you're coming from, Salamander. How on earth does giving attention to your guildmates have anything to do with improving the state of the Magic Council?"

"What I'm trying to say is that my own personal reasons for giving attention to my guildmates can extend to a much larger problem with the structure of the Magic Council! Would you agree when I say that most of the damage done by Fairy Tail's top mages is because of the power and magical potential they possess?"

"Without a doubt." Gran Doma stoically responded.

"There's your answer. Fairy Tail is now left with our weakest mages in terms of power and that's all because Master Makarov and I neglected giving the proper attention to our guildmates who deserved it! As Fairy Tail's new master, it would be in my best interest to strengthen my guild physically by starting to connect with them on an emotional level. which they have yet to experience. Ever since I joined Fairy Tail, I never thought about doing that, and it wasn't until the person who nursed me back to health made me realize this problem. Not only that, but our issue doesn't only reside with Fairy Tail, but with multiple other guilds! What about the Trimen Team of Blue Pegasus?! They're notorious for their overall strength and slightly destructive nature, so what if they vanish and end in the same position as Fairy Tail? They wouldn't be able to defend themselves, because their guild has ignored its other members who should be just as important. The fact is, no one should go through what Fairy Tail went through when we lost our most valued members. This guild system is weak if you ask me and has gotta be changed!"

"Weak?" Gran Doma reeled at Natsu's response.

"You're telling me that Mages wandering for jobs aimlessly meeting complete stranger clients without a second thought coming from their Guild Masters isn't faulty? It is, because one of my guildmates was nearly killed on top one of Mt. Hakubi: all because when his very own son asked Master Makarov to send someone to save his life, he refused to give both of them his attention. This wouldn't be a problem if our mages were more powerful and on par with some of the more notorious ones. And that all starts by diverting _attention_ to them. THAT IS TOTALLY something that needs to be changed."

Natsu paused before digressing to his original argument, taking a minute to catch his breath. "You win either way if you appoint me as Guild Master. If you appoint me, I'll be able to follow through the promise I made to my guildmates and together, we can insure that no other guild is placed in the situation Fairy Tail and the Magic Council are in. In this case, it would be giving attention to my guildmates which would extend to the improvements I mentioned before. Even if you appoint me and I fail to follow through with improving Fairy Tail, you'll be able to disband Fairy Tail and use my methods I've stated as a way to prevent turmoil from Fiore's citizens, because you'd still be trying to change Fiore's structure."

Gran Doma leaned towards the bold man in absolute fascination. The elder still could not fathom this was all coming from a reckless Dragon Slayer who supposedly stormed a former Magic Council trial out of immaturity. "Mister Dragneel, you make an argument that is nearly insurmountable. I see only glaring flaw. How do I know you will follow through with what your promise? How do I know that this isn't just so you achieve the title as 4th Guild Master of Fairy Tail and solely follow through your promise you made to your guildmates? You said it yourself, I benefit either way. However, I'm going to need a more reassuring source of collateral from you to ensure I benefit from you successfully maintaining title as Guild Master. With all due respect, despite you using your promise to your guildmates coupled with your guild's title as collateral to follow through with respecting our authority, we require a more professional and concrete source of depth. The Magic Council wouldn't want to take the risk of you accidentally reverting back to your reckless and destructive nature!"

"This is where I ask you to make your own offer." Natsu hesitantly offered the Magic Council as he witnessed Gran Doma rise from his seat and pace the area around his raised podium. Truth be told, most of what the Dragon Slayer was saying concerning the relationship between guild members and attention made sense considering his own Nakama were facing that issue. Naturally, he expected that he did't need to think of a second form of collateral considering he was banking on Fairy Tail being disbanded if they eventually put themselves in bankruptcy: meaning he couldn't fulfill his promise. He never expected his situation concerning the fragile state of Fairy Tail to relate to that of the Magic Council thus needing something to prevent turmoil. At this point, he was banking on the fact whether or not Gran Doma could meet him half way.

"Hmm…" Gran Doma began before widening his eyes. "What if I told you that during your entire argument, I was planning something that would correlate to what you were stating? This plan would happen a month from now and it would be an event called the Magic Coalition. Consider it a convention where guilds and independent mages all around Fiore are notified to meet in a safe and secure area where they can exchange magic, structural ideas of guilds, meet new friends, and improve on their overall capabilities all the while improving their relationships with the Magic Council."

"Alright?" Natsu questioned wanting to know where this was going.

"Fairy Tail would get publicity for attending, and the Magic Council will begin its transgression to play a more profound roll in our government which contrasts from our original role of simply dealing punishment and acting as a 'figurehead'. This idea might seem completely minor, petty, and borderline farfetched, but your argument was based upon these 'minor alterations' relating to a much bigger innuendo. As another source of collateral for you to follow through with your words, you will present everything you told me in front of the Magic Coalition. You have the remainder of the month to refine and perfect every detail you told me concerning what a guild's overall status along with its guild members should represent. If those attending the Magic Coalition like your ideas, and the vote is in your favor, I won't revoke your title as Guild Master. If the participants think your idea seems too farfetched, I reserve the right to remove your status as Guild Master." Gran Doma paused before retaking his seat and making eye contact with the Dragon Slayer.

"That seems fair to me." The Dragon Slayer nodded before Gran Doma continued.

"Salamander, I agree with you in one aspect, your situation is relatable to mine. Without your most powerful S-Class mages, you are extremely fragile and overall vulnerable to instability. If the system you suggested counteracts that problem while benefiting the both of us on a multitude of platforms, how could I possibly reject your offer?" Gran Doma paused to lean in closer towards where Natsu was standing. "So now it's up to you to see if your philosophical methods that benefit Fairy Tail on a minor level can relate to what you and I are facing on a major level. For the both of us, it's the matter of ensuring that nothing like this ever happens again to any unfortunate politically bound system." Gran Doma leaned back in his seat upon finishing.

Natsu was at a complete loss of words, he couldn't believe the opportunities that Gran Doma was offering him although the stakes were incredibly high for the both of them. "So about this entire meeting between us?" Natsu questioned about the secrecy of what they spoke about.

"If you tell your guildmates, they will simply be unable to vote come time for the Magic Coalition. No immediate punishment will be dealt whatsoever." Org came to a decision for the Chairman.

"Correct." Gran Doma responded.

"Consider it a done deal!" Natsu chirped.

"However, no other person besides those affiliated with Fairy Tail may be told in order to keep the popularity as unbiased as possible. If I get word that guilds are discussing the possible change of system we have planned, I will not hesitate to revoke your title as Guild Master. Do I make myself clear?" Gran Doma threatened.

"Crystal." Natsu responded.

"Then if that's the case," The Chairman began speaking as he retook his seat only to pick up his quill and a piece of parchment that was illegible from where Natsu was standing, "I hereby declare Natsu Dragneel to be the 4th Guild Master of Fairy Tail." Gran Doma boomed as he signed the document on his desk. "Master Natsu, I will notify Fairy Tail about the specifications concerning the Magic Coalition when I finalize the details. As for how I plan to notify the other guilds and independent mages, I will contact Jason the head redactor at Sorcerer Magazine and reserve the next weekly issue to be entirely dedicated to propaganda that will promote the Magic Coalition. That is all that I have to say on the matter." Gran Doma finished.

"With that being said, is there anything else you would like to discuss with us?" Org asked the Dragon Slayer before him. Natsu simply shook his head with a toothy smile plastered across his face. "Then I give my best regards to Fairy Tail concerning your loss." Org said as he gave his condolences from his seat.

"Thanks for your time." Natsu bowed. After a couple seconds went by, the thought projections of the Magic Council members began to flicker violently before dissipating into thin air which signaled Natsu to regain his giddy composure before needing to turn around to leave out through the court room's entrance.

As he reached the entrance to the court room, the same pair of Magic Council Rune Knights from before opened the wooden doors from the main hallway to grant the Dragon Slayer access to the outside world. The Dragon Slayer stepped through the door's arched frame while the Rune Knights locked the court room behind him only to continue their daily tasks elsewhere.

Natsu simply gazed out the massive window in front of him while the sun over Magnolia Forest's tree line set in the distance.

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** Themes concerning this chapter...? Honestly, there's really only one. And if you weren't able to spot it, I encourage you to read Natsu's meeting with the Magic Council more thoroughly.

Essentially, Master Natsu is going to use his philosophical reasoning concerning the lack of attention his guildmates have been receiving to relate to a major political innuendo that both Fairy Tail AND the Magic Council are experiencing: instability.


	7. Chapter 7 - Moving Past Mistakes

**Author's Note:** Here it is, 10K words! Even though this is the longest chapter I've written up until this point, when I reread it, it seemed so short! Maybe it's because I already knew what was going to happen(?)

If you think the second half of this chapter is too much of a coincidence, I've addressed that multiple times throughout. I just didn't want everything to seem so coincidental so I plan on addressing that next chapter hopefully. I encourage you all to read the second Author's Note at the end as it will clarify some stuff already stated in this chapter (meaning there won't be anything that could possibly spoil what's going to happen). That being said. I'll be seeing you guys around!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter seven: Moving Past Mistakes**

"Kinana, what time is it?" Macao asked as he anxiously tapped his foot from the guild's table.

"It's 8:00." She frowned as she squinted at the clock above the bar.

"Dad? When did Natsu say he was going to be back?" Romeo asked worriedly.

"He promised he would be back NOW, so where the hell is he?"

"Calm down Macao, the night is still young. I'm sure Natsu's just taking his time." Wakaba reassured Romeo's frantic father.

"He said he would be back by the time it turned dark though! It's been an hour since the sun set and we haven't heard back from where he is."

"He has a point. Natsu was the one who suggested using his Lacrima to contact Macao if something came up. It wouldn't make sense for him to just forget about it." Alzack rubbed his head in confusion.

Moments of silence fell between the guild members before Macao stood up from his bench and grabbed his white jacket placed around the guild's railing. "Screw it. I'm going to head up the trail leading towards the Magic Council Fiore Brach to see if I can find him. Are you coming with me Wakaba?"

"You bet I'm. If you think Natsu might be in trouble, then I'm not taking the chance of losing another one of our guild members."

Macao nodded in response before continuing. "Is anyone else coming with us?"

"Alzack, Bisca, and I will come." Warren announced as he stood up.

"Yup! You're gonna need a pair of sharpshooters to keep an eye out for him in Magnolia Forest especially since it's dark. Warren can use his **Telepathy** to communicate with us while we search." Bisca added as she requipped a Sniper rifle with a high magnification scope.

"I can't begin to thank you guys enough for what you're doing." Macao sighed in slight relief at the support he was generating.

"No need to thank us. I mean, this is Natsu we're talking about." Alazack smiled.

Macao then directed his attention to the Bisca's weapon that she requipped. "Alright, so if this is the case, how powerful is that scope of yours Bisca?"

"I purchased it from the black market back when I was a western rogue. I don't use it on quests anymore because it's obviously illegal, but I'll have no problem magnifying an object by 80 times its normal size." Bisca proudly stated. This warranted a sharp whistle from Alzack who was now standing next to her.

"That's perfect. If you want, you could position yourself on the top part of the guild hall which towers over Magnolia Forest. You shouldn't have a problem seeing anything from up there. As for the rest of us," Macao paused to divert his attention to the rest of the volunteers, "Wakaba and I can search the main pathway leading through the forest. Warren can stay with Bisca so he can relay information from her to the rest of us, and Alzack can directly communicate with Bisca and Warren as he searches the forest's undergrowth. That way, none of us will be retracing our steps. Are there any questions?" Macao questioned as he surveyed the volunteers. The only person who was slightly disappointed with their position was Alzack as he wouldn't be in close proximity to his crush. However, Fairy Tail's priority was Natsu at this moment and that's all that mattered.

"All right then! Bisca, you get into position with Warren on top of the guild. Contact us when you're ready to guide Alzack through the forest. As for Wakaba and me, we'll begin-" Before Macao could finish his instructions and begin the search, the guild's doors were forced open as a cloud of dust from the outside clouded the entrance.

" **Shh- DOOM!"** The doors made as they burst open. Every guild member immediately diverted their attention to where the sound came from only to be greeted with a black silhouette making its way into the guild hall.

As the figure began to emerge from the settling dust, Macao yelled one word out of complete shock, anger, and even relief, before running up to the person who made the entrance. "NATSU!"

The rest of the guild members promptly followed the blue haired mage as they were all wondering why the Dragon Slayer arrived so late. Once Macao completed his examination which confirmed that Natsu was unscathed and had only arrived late, he began to interrogate the pink haired mage as anger washed over him. "NATSU?! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? IT'S BEEN MORE THAN AN HOUR SINCE YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD BE BACK! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED WE WERE CONSIDERING I WAS ABOUT TO LEAD A SEARCH TEAM OUT TO FIND YOU?"

Macao paused to take a breath, when he realized the Dragon Slayer in front of him reluctantly begin to uncover his ears and tear up slightly. Out of all the years that the duo have known each other, no guild member could remember a time where Macao had lost his temper towards Natsu. This shocked many of them without a doubt and Macao was the first to realize his actions. Natsu could only form a meek response to the events that unfolded. "I- I didn't want to tell you guys I was going to be late because I didn't want anyone to ask if the Magic Council appointed me as Guild Master. If that happened, I would have to tell you that not only did I become Guild Master, but there's a really big opportunity for Fairy Tail that Gran Doma offered us. I wanted it to be a surprise… So… SURPRISE!" He finished by mustering a weak smile through his sniffles.

Macao had a look of guilt plastered across his face as he put a comforting hand on Natsu's shoulder before continuing. "Ugh… Natsu? Look, I didn't mean to raise my voice. Considering all that we've been through the past couple of days, none of us wanted to risk anything happen to you. When you said that you were going to return before nighttime, we expected the least you would have done was to contact me and notify us if you were going to be late. I mean, you were the one who suggested using our Lacrima in the first place if something came up that would prevent you from returning on time. We were all worried when you didn't follow through with what you suggested." Macao regretted as he found a valid excuse for his actions.

"Oh… I completely forgot about how I promised to use the Lacrima to contact you in case something came up." Natsu frowned at his short minded nature.

"Anyways, let's just put this behind us and consider it a lesson for the future. How about you come sit back down and tell us about this opportunity that the Magic Council was able to grant you"

Before Natsu could continue, Bisca cursed under her breath. "Shoot. I was just about to remember what this baby could do." She said as she requipped out of her Sniper rifle causing the entire guild to chuckle at her response.

Natsu sat back down with the rest of his Nakama who began to quiet down in anticipation. Warren then made a suggestion before the Dragon Slayer could begin recalling his meeting. "Hey guys, I have an idea! Instead of Natsu having to retell us everything that happened, how about I just project his thoughts against the guild's wall using my **Telepathy**?"

"I don't mind." Natsu shrugged.

"Yeah, that's a great Idea Warren! Nothing can beat what Natsu tells us other than literally being there in the moment." Macao shot Warren a proud smile for his suggestion.

"Alright Natsu. Sorry this has to be the case, but you won't be able to move until I finish or cancel the projection from your thoughts. You'll be able to hear everything that goes on, but you need to keep your eyes closed to prevent your visuals from interrupting the projection."

"So what do I have to do other than closing my eyes?"

"All you have to do from there is recall the starting point of the memory you want us to view. In this case, I would suggest recalling a couple moments before Gran Doma began you meeting."

Natsu followed with Warren's suggestion and closed his eyes while thinking of when he first stepped up to the balustrade in the court room. "Alright Warren. I'm ready." Natsu spoke for Warren to continue.

"Here it goes Natsu." Warren stated as his right hand to point his index and middle finger at Natsu's temple. His other hand was pointed towards the wall directly behind the bar where everyone could see. Immediately, a projection containing the exact scene Natsu experienced was displayed flat against the wall Warren directed it towards.

"Uhh… Did it work?" Natsu asked.

"Of course it did! Now be quiet, Gran Doma is about to speak." Warren hushed the Dragon Slayer as the rest of the guild members began to intently observe the projection.

Throughout the first half of the meeting where Natsu mentioned Gran Doma's ability to disband Fairy Tail if he put them in bankruptcy, his guildmates were relieved that Natsu stuck to what he initially planned to do. The fact that Org and Gran Doma were intrigued with this source of collateral made many assume that this was all the two men needed to appoint Natsu as Fairy Tail's Guild Master.

However, as they realized that Gran Doma required a more concrete reason to appoint the Dragon Slayer as Guild Master, Natsu's guild members became interested in what Natsu had to say in response. When Natsu provided the second reason for needing to be appointed Guild Master, the guild members present were left dumbstruck when they wondered how what he stated actually worked considering how farfetched most of it sounded. Their dumbstruck attitudes soon turned to horror and disbelief as they realized the commitment that Natsu accepted with Gran Doma after both of them agreed to the second form of collateral.

When Warren ended the memory after Natsu thanked that Magic Council, the guild was left completely agape. Natsu sat up proudly as he assumed it was because of his sheer level of maturity he gained.

"I told you I knew what I was doing!" He flashed his signature toothy grin. However, the response he received instantly put a questionable look on his face.

"Natsu… What the hell were you thinking?" Macao uttered while clenching his fists and staring down at his center desk. All the other guild members present were too baffled to respond.

"What do you mean? I thought that the Magic Coalition Gran Doma mentioned would be an amazing opportunity for us to get involved with mages all over Fiore." Natsu stated as he was completely lost.

"Natsu, that's not the problem we're facing now. The problem is with your second source of collateral you gave Gran Doma."

"What about it? All I have to do is tell everyone at the Magic Coalition what I think."

"Natsu, do you remember what you even stated? First, you were trying to relate to the Magic Council by stating that they were in the same position as Fairy Tail: fragile. That makes perfect sense, don't get me wrong, but do you understand why this is such a glaring problem despite that?" Macao responded. The silence from the Dragon Slayer was all Macao needed to continue. "Here's the thing. Similar to how you're trying to give us the attention we need to improve the state of our guild, you're trying to use the same logic to fix the government of Fiore. Natsu, they're two completely different concepts!"

"But-"

"Natsu, you shouldn't have let your emotions get the better of you during your meeting. That's where you allowed yourself to become vulnerable! The fact is, you tried to relate the lack of attention we've been getting as Nakama, which you assumed could be credited for not being on par with our more powerful mages, to that of how the Magic Council resides over the guilds of Fiore! You thought if Gran Doma appointed you as Guild Master, that you would be able to work together with him to prevent the Magic Council from falling into complete instability. This would be by insuring that guilds are given more attention which would prevent them from the same outcome. You thought that if guilds have more powerful mages in contrast to their lower tiers, that they will fall to the same type of instability the Magic Council has."

"That's exactly what I was thinking! How does that relate to what I did necessarily being bad?" Natsu countered feeling as though Macao was simply restating his argument he made to the Magic Council.

"This all relates to the new problem we face considering you left yourself vulnerable by becoming 'too close' to a farfetched idea!"

This time, Wakaba decided to interject. "Macao, I've been following you up until you mentioned something that confused me. What do you mean by Natsu allowing himself to become 'vulnerable?'"

"All these things relate to the same thing: the offer that Gran Doma made to Natsu in the form of the 'second collateral' they both agreed on." Macao replied

"You mean the Magic Coalition?" Natsu questioned.

"Yes, something tells me that the Magic Council set Natsu up. What I'm taking away from this is that Gran Doma expected Natsu to take his risky and farfetched offer as long as it meant he would become Guild Master: hence him becoming 'too close' to the situation and allowing his emotions to choose his own decisions."

Natsu still couldn't fathom why Gran Doma would do such an act and responded in confusion. "Oi! Old Man! I still don't see what's so wrong about what I did! I know it was risky, but we can still follow through with what I mentioned to the Magic Council even if you think it's farfetched! Why on earth would Gran Doma want to set me up when he could have just turned me down in the first place and save his breath?"

"Consider I'm Gran Doma for a moment. What are two things I love? One of them is power. The other is disbanding Fairy Tail to maintain the stability of the Magic Council. In order to strengthen the Magic Council's fragile state, how about I use Master Natsu's farfetched argument, make it less farfetched by solely diverting my attention to the guilds (hence the reason for the Magic Coalition), and make the council look like the good guys for attempting to strengthen the government. Now what do I do about the trash? Don't worry, Master Natsu will take care of that in a month. He'll gets up in front of a crowd of people, be forced to tell this crowd EVERYTHING he told the Magic Council regardless of how farfetched it sounds, and once those present shut Master Natsu down, I'll just follow through with the collateral Master Natsu agreed on which leads to the end of Fairy Tail once I revoke his title as Guild Master. From there, I repeat as necessary only using what will benefit the Magic Council's reputation."

"Now what makes you think no one will like my ideas?" Natsu argued back.

"Natsu, a month from now, you're going to have to present these ideas to the guilds and independent mages of Fiore. You're going to have to convince them that your methods, which you came up with in less than a few hours, are somehow more reliable than those that have been in place for the past 400 years. This doesn't even consider the fact that you also need to convince the Magic Coalition that you aren't emotionally attached to this situation when they hear this all stemmed from the outcome of the Tenrou Group. Do you get why this is such a problem now?" Macao finished his argument while gripping the young Dragon Slayer's shoulders.

Natsu was at a complete loss of words. He had never felt so helpless before considering he realized that he overlooked everything Macao told him. Only one thing ran through Natsu's mind as he spoke out loud. "You're- You're right... I've- I've failed as Guild Master. I tried to act mature and take matters into my own hands. Now I won't be able to keep the promise I made to you guys. In a month, I'm going to have to get up in front of all the guilds and independent mages of Fiore and make myself look like a complete retard. Macao was right. When everyone at the Magic Coalition completely shuts me down, Gran Doma will get the two things he's always wanted: disbanding Fairy Tail and strengthening the Magic Council using the parts of my argument he chooses to." Natsu finished as he put his head down against the desk he was sitting at in shame.

Instead of the guild wallowing in misery, Macao put another comforting hand on Natsu's shoulder. "You didn't let me finish. Natsu, I'm not going to lie to you, the council might have played us like a deck of cards. That sure as hell doesn't mean we can't prove them wrong. At the very least we'll put up a fight. I mean, this is Fairy Tail after all!"

"But- I mean- You guys trusted me to be Guild Master, and I didn't live up to your expectations. This wouldn't have been an issue if I just listened to Wakaba before I left." Natsu started to sob as he gestured towards the man with a pipe in his mouth.

This time, he was the one who decided to speak instead of Macao. He sighed as he spoke what was on his mind. "Listen, it's okay to let your emotions get the better of you from time to time. That's human nature for Earthland's sake. At the end of the day, we're still a guild and you're our Guild Master which means you've been keeping your promise to us."

"He's right Natsu. If you still feel guilty and need something to work off of, just let this be as a lesson that you have a ways to go before even you overcome your flaws as Guild Master. I mean, we didn't decide for you to be our Guild Master thinking that this would all be a walk in the park and you would sort yourself out overnight." Macao agreed with Wakaba.

This time, Laki decided to chip in as she pieced together everything that had happened. "Yeah, Master Makarov spent decades as our Guild Master without even bringing up the fact that he overlooked the attention some of us were given! That being said, I'm not saying that you can't improve on your flaws over time. Since we've already diagnosed them, now it's a matter of working towards a solution." She offered as she smiled towards Natsu

"See Natsu? It's exactly as you quoted Erza. You might overcome your flaws today, tomorrow, or it might take years. That doesn't mean that you have to do it by yourself. Don't think that being Guild Master means that you're a lone wolf and automatically know the answers to Earthland's problems. You're a member of Fairy Tail which means we help each other in need." Macao finished as he comforted the sobbing Dragon Slayer in front of him.

Natsu slowly lifted his head up to survey the other guild members who didn't add to the conversation. "Do you guys really mean it?" He hesitantly asked.

"Of course we did Natsu. If you were perfect, we wouldn't have needed to decide for you to be our Guild Master." Jet and droy reassured him from their seats.

"Oui." Reedus agreed with the duo.

Natsu decided to chip in for a moment. "The thing is though, where do I even start?" He questioned before using the paper towels on his desk to wipe up his watery eyes.

Seeing as Natsu was still regaining his composure, Macao made a suggestion to him. "How about you give us some of that attention you promised starting tomorrow morning? During your meeting with the Magic Council, you said that increased attention to guildmates could lead to enhanced magical potential. If we can prove that a stronger emotional bond improves physical strength over the next month, I'd say we'd be off to a solid start. From there, we can work step by step to prove that the magic potential we've gained can help prevent other guilds from what's similar to the Magic Council and Fairy Tail: falling to instability! In Fairy Tail's case, this is because we're not as powerful to accept S-Class quests and earn revenue to keep us out of bankruptcy." Macao stated proudly as he realized there was a chance that this could all work out in the end. "So, what do you say Master Natsu?" Macao finished as he once again reminded himself and the rest of the guild that Natsu was their superior.

This instantly lightened the Dragon Slayer's mood as he began to speak. "The chances sound small especially since you said that the guild system hasn't changed in 400 years. You said it yourself though, if we can prove that we're benefiting from a new system that should be required from other guilds, then the Magic Coalition shouldn't have a reason to reject my offer!"

Kinana giggled at his response. "You literally repeated everything Macao already said."

"I know." Natsu smiled before redirecting his attention back to Macao. "And to answer your question Macao, we can start training first thing the guild opens tomorrow." He finished with a confident smile.

This caused Rome to shoot up from his seat. "YES! Master Natsu gets to show us his magic tomorrow!"

Now that the guild had a much more lightened atmosphere, Natsu decided to continue with Macao's suggestion. "I may have a lot to learn when it comes to maturing as Fairy Tail's Guild Master, but what I can tell you is that I know training like the back of my hand. Is everyone fine with beginning training for the Magic Coalition tomorrow?"

" **AYE SIR!"** The guild members declared as they were determined to protect their guild from disbandment.

"Alrighty then! Everyone meet here at 8:00 tomorrow morning. That way we can begin first thing the sun rises."

Vijeeter frowned in response. "That's really early for me to begin some smooth moves."

"It's early for all of us. But starting tomorrow, we all have a month to prove that what Master Natsu said can actually benefit every guild for the better. We're going to need all the daylight we can get if we want that happen." Macao supported the Dragon Slayer's decision.

"Yup, if sleep is an issue for some of you, then I suggest we close the guild hall for the night. Believe me, when I first started intense training, my lack of sleep interfered with my motivation every morning when I woke up. You'll want to get lots of rest if you want to be properly motivated tomorrow." Natsu nodded.

"Is that it?" Alzack and Bisca questioned as they were ready to leave the guild hall together.

"That's all I have to say until tomorrow." Before Natsu could continue, Macao slid a round keychain with multiple keys dangling from it across their desk towards his seat.

"What's this?" Natsu questioned as the keys fell into his lap.

"You're our Guild Master now. Those are the keys to the guild. Master Makarov entrusted me with them since he put me in charge when he left."

As Natsu picked the keychain up, the most important keys had writing engraved on them. One of them unlocked the infirmary, the other his office, and the last two were the main and rear entrances of the guild. "To think that yesterday I was using crutches and now I'm sitting here being handed the keys to Fairy Tail." Natsu smiled.

"You earned it Natsu."

"I don't know what else to say. If no one has any questions, we might as well call it a day and meet back here tomorrow. What time did we say again?"

" **8:00 in the morning!"** The guild blurted at different times.

"I guess I'll see you then. Goodnight my Nakama." Natsu said as he gave Macao a man hug while everyone began to give their personal goodbyes.

Right as Alzack and Bisca began to lead the rest of the group out of the guild hall, the members turned around momentarily to shout out to their new Guild Master. **"GOONIGHT MASTER NATSU!"**

Natsu simply gave him his signature toothy grin as the entrance closed behind the leaving group. He then walked up to the wooden doors to lock them with the keys Macao gave him. After pulling on the handles to ensure they were locked, he made his way to the center of the guild in order to move all the tables back to their original places on the wings of the hall. After Natsu spent some time rearranging the tables and benches, he continued to the second floor of the guild and entered his new office which he had plans to remodel later to fit his needs. Just like he expected, the books were all stacked on the office's floor from when they were all searching for Master Makarov's Will. Natsu took the time to neatly place the books back onto their bookshelves before deciding to reorganize the drawers to his desk.

As he began to pull the left one open, for some reason, the drawer failed to lock in place and ended up becoming dislodged from the desk. "Crap!" Natsu muttered as he was forced to kneel down to see if he could relodge the drawer. To his surprise, there was something hidden within the desk's frame that he spotted. Natsu placed the drawer to his side and reached upwards into the dark void until his hand rested upon a round item. He removed the item from the desk's frame before inspecting it. Natsu held it up to the office's light and observed that the item was a blue orb that was floating inside a pod with four floating spires around it. "Now why is this dusty thing in Gramp's old desk?" Natsu questioned aloud as he blew the grit off it.

Natsu then noticed that tucked inside the middle of the four floating spires was a folded note. He removed it from the middle, placed the device on top of his desk, and took a seat in his office chair before reading the note out loud. "Dear Master Makarov,

I was successfully able to infiltrate the ranks of the Magic Council. My current position is an assistant of the Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit. One of the items that comes standard with my position is something called a Magic Power Finder. These typically cost a ridiculous amount of money, but my position grants me one for free.

Since I have no use for my Magic Power Finder, consider mine that I have attached to this letter as a gift to celebrate my success. The device turns on automatically when you release it into the air. If you want to turn it off, press the blue orb against the four floating spires beneath it. The name of the device should be self explanatory. When it's hit with a source of magic, the magic's power will be represented by a number above it. As a reference, a number of 365 is typically the required strength that a Rune Knight Captain must possess to maintain his or her position. I hope you are able to put it to more use than I am able to.

From, Mest Gryder."

After reading the note, Natsu ignited it with his magic similar to how Macao destroyed Mest's Lacrima to preserve Mest's alias. Out of all the year's Natsu has been under intense training, not once has he heard of a Magic Power Finder. He dismissed this thought and only credited it towards the steep price that was suggested within the letter. Not only was the timing unbelievably lucky considering tomorrow's training session, but Natsu also began to ponder about the device's secrecy. "I wonder if there's some other stuff hidden in the desk's frame."

Before he could continue his search, the clock positioned over the entrance's door frame startled him as it read 10:00 when he glanced towards it. Remembering he still needed to wake up early to open the guild, Natsu decided to put off dismantling the rest of the desk until he was given a chance tomorrow. He relodged the drawer back into its original position without touching its contents because it was already organized by Macao. As the Dragon Slayer leaned back at his desk's seat and closed his eyes, all he could think about was tomorrow's training session before his mind fell to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Scene Change – The Next Day

" **ThudThudThud…"**

"Hello? Is anyone in there? It's me!" A young girl called out from outside the Fairy Tail Guild hall.

" **ThudThudThud…"** The girl rapped on the door again only to be left without a response.

Back inside Master Natsu's office, Natsu began to stir in his seat as he attempted to ignore whatever his ears were picking up. **"ThudThudThud…"** He heard again which caused him to slowly lift his head off his desk and check the time.

"7:30…" He muttered before lying his head back down on his desk. The last thing the Dragon Slayer saw before closing his eyes again was the Magic Power Finder he found yesterday lying next to his head. After he fully registered the device while he began to drift off into sleep, his eyes then shot open to look at the clock again. "IT'S 7:30!" Natsu exclaimed before bolting out of his chair and towards the entrance of the guild as he remembered what he planned for today.

" **ThudThudThud…"** He heard again.

"I'm coming!" Natsu hollered out as he began to unlock the entrance. He then opened the front doors for whoever was waiting outside only to be met with the blinding light of the rising sun. Once his eyes began to adjust to the glare, they rested upon a purple haired girl in a green dress smiling towards him.

"Hi Master Natsu!" The girl chirped as her bright smile turned to a look of worry. "Master, are you feeling okay? Your clothes are all wrinkled and your hair is messy… Er Then usual." The girl snickered as she completed her sentence.

"Oh… Err… Hey Kinana. Sorry about the long wait and how I look right now. I just woke up." He frowned before continuing. "Thanks for waking me up and everything before anyone else got here, but it's only 7:30. We weren't going to start training until 8:00" He said as he gestured for the girl to come in.

"I always come early to start working the bar."

"Oh yeah, That's right. Did you need any help with that before we open?"

"I'll be fine. I was just going to start preparing breakfast for anyone who would want something to eat before we started training." She stated as she opened the refrigerator.

"Hey Kinana? You might want to hold off on breakfast until we're done training. The last thing I want is for whatever's in your stomach to come back up. I learned that the hard way the first time I trained."

"That's no problem at all. Less work for me!" Kinana smiled before rounding the bar top with Natsu and taking a seat with him at a barstool. "Did you decide on a training schedule yet?"

"I have a rough outline for the next handful of days. I only want us training during the mornings. Even though it's winter, the last thing I need is for the sun to be beating down on us while we train. That's why I wanted you guys to be here so early. Did you have something planned that messes with the time?" Natsu asked concerned.

"Nope, Alzack, Bisca, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with us shopping. We planned to do it whenever we had free time today!"

"I usually really hate shopping. Lucy would have to force me just to visit a couple of her favorite stores on the way back from our missions together. Maybe I could tag along and get some stuff for my new office. What gramps did to it just looks way too simple right now. And honestly, now that I think about it, maybe it's time to change my look up a bit." Natsu gestured towards his raggedy clothes he'd been wearing the past few days which caused Kinana to laugh.

"That's not a bad idea at all. A new look would be great to bring with you when we visit the Magic Coalition."

"Sounds like a great idea! We'll definitely have enough time to hang out with Bisca and Alzack later in the day. We'll finish around 11:00 which means you'll have enough time to cook brunch for anyone who wants something to eat. After that, we can do whatever we want."

"Thanks so much Master Natsu!" Kinana beamed from her seat beside him. "How do you plan on training us anyways?" She changed the topic.

This immediately caused Natsu to stand up from his barstool. "Thanks for reminding me Kinana! I found something in Master Makarov's old desk that could really help us while we train. I'll go get it quickly." He said before making his way up to his office. Natsu opened the door and traveled to the desk where the Magic Power Finder was lying atop. He picked the device up and tossed it into the air just to confirm that it worked. Just like Mest's letter said, the device began to levitate. Natsu then pushed the orb into the four spires causing the device to turn off on its own and fall into his arms. "Perfect!" He smiled to himself before racing back downstairs with it.

Just as he approached Kinana at the bar and was about to show her the Magic Power Finder, the entrance to the guild burst open as the rest of the guild members had already grouped outside the guild hall and made their loud entrance. " **GOOD MORNING MASTER NATSU!"** They yelled in unison.

This caused him to quickly turn to Kinana. "I'll tell you in a bit." He winked to her before refacing the crowd that began to enter the guild. "Morning guys! I hope you're ready for some intense training!"

"So, Master Natsu, what's the plan for today?" Max stated which caused everyone else to quiet down.

"First off, I don't want to overwork you guys. I planned on training until 11:00 today before I headed out with Kinana, Alzack, and Bisca to do a little local shopping around Magnolia."

Macao and Wakaba were the first to respond to this simultaneously. " **WHAT?! NATSU DRAGNEEL IS GOING SHOPPING?!"**

This caused the Dragon Slayer to cover his ears before reluctantly responding. "You heard me. I wanted to get supplies to remodel my new office. And I think we can all agree that I get a new look for the upcoming Magic Coalition." He finished by gesturing to his wrinkled and worn in attire.

"Thanks for coming with us to shop later in the day, but didn't you get the chance to go home and change?" Bisca asked worriedly.

"I just slept in my office. I wanted to rearrange the benches back where they used to be and survey the office I'll be working in for the future. By the time I finished all that, it was 10:00 at night and I wanted to get to sleep as soon as possible in order to have as much as my energy saved for today."

"So where'd you get that weird thing you're holding?" Wakaba gestured towards his hands.

Natsu glanced down at the Magic Power Finder before responding. "I'll explain what this is in a bit. I first wanted to tell you guys where we plan on meeting up to train every morning! The other day, when we were searching through Gramp's office for his Will, I noticed that you could see Lake Scilliora where Phantom Lord's guild attacked us from his office's window. There's a flat area right outside the guild's rear entrance that meets the water. All of you, except Kinana and Reedus, fought against those Shades that Master Jose summoned during our battle with Phantom Lord. There's tons of space there to train and we can even use the sea to swim. C'mon! I'll show you guys where it is so we can get stated. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be done." He finished while gesturing for his guild mates to follow him towards the staircase. Natsu led them downstairs through the infirmary before unlocking the guild's rear door giving everyone access to the new training area.

* * *

Bisca was the first to respond as the group stepped onto the flat surface. "I forgot how open and beautiful this area was. Nice thinking Master Natsu! There's more than enough room to train here and do all sorts of activities. The guild hall even blocks out the sun that's behind us."

Natsu gave her a warm smile in response before turning around to the rest of the group. "I already told you guys before we came out here, but we're not going to do anything over the top today. I'm first going to gauge your abilities and potential before starting on some basic drills and routines tomorrow morning. This will set a general idea for the rest of our training schedule."

Romeo began to wave his hand in the air before speaking. "Master Natsu! When are you going to show me your magic?!" He yelled excitedly before his father calmed him down.

Natsu waved back to the excited boy before responding. "That's where this thing comes in use." He responded while tossing the object in his hands into the air right next to the lake. It began to levitate which caught the attention of everyone present. "Could I get everyone to line up against the guild's wall? That way I can explain what this does easier."

Not a second was wasted as everyone complied with Natsu's orders. They all wanted to see how the small device would help them train and improve for the Magic Coalition. After everyone finished lining up against the wall, Natsu continued to stand next to the device before explaining its purpose. "This device is called a Magic Power Finder. When I went back up to Master Makarov's office yesterday after closing the guild, I opened his desk's left drawer and accidentally dislodged it from the desks frame. When I tried to relodge the drawer back in place, I noticed this device shoved into part of the frame that would usually be obscured by the drawer. I took it out and there was a note inside of it from Mest that stated he was able to infiltrate the ranks of the Magic Council. Apparently, these devices come standard with his position. The thing is, the note said that they're ridiculously expensive so I wouldn't be surprised if none of you have heard of it before. Since Mest had no use for his Magic Power Finder, he gave it to Master Makarov as a gift to celebrate his success."

"That's unbelievably lucky!" Macao chuckled before continuing. "If you found that in your desk's frame, maybe there's other stuff hidden in there." Macao suggested.

"That's what I was thinking. I promised to take a closer look around the time we close the guild for the day. Maybe I could find time after I went shopping with Kinana, Alzack, and Bisca. "

"Anyways, I'm pretty sure I can guess what that Magic Power Finder does by its name, but how does it work?" Macao reverted back to training.

Natsu continued from where he left off. "When it's hit with a source of magic, the magic's power will be represented by a number above it. Mest said that a number of 365 is typically the required strength that a Rune Knight Captain must possess to maintain his or her position." He paused before examining the line in front of him. "So, who wants to be the first to test it out?"

While most simply pressed themselves against the guild hall in fear of embarrassing themselves, Macao stepped out of line without hesitation. "It's about time I showed you youngsters that this old dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve."

Natsu examined the expressions on the other guild members pressed against the guild hall as he spoke. "Don't think you guys aren't going to give this a try. This is going to serve as the baseline for what we're ALL going to improve on, even me."

Nab was the first to respond as he shivered. "You know, that doesn't make us feel any better! Instead of embarrassing ourselves, you'll just be doing that for us when it's your turn."

"And that's exactly what we're trying to improve on." Natsu smirked while he took Macao's spot by the guild wall.

Macao took his stance a short distance away from the Magic Power Finder before calling out to the Dragon Slayer. "So I just hit this thing with my most powerful spell?"

"I tossed it all the way out there for a reason. The last thing I need is for someone to damage the guild hall. Let's see what you've got Old Man!"

"Alright then." Macao said before deeply inhaling while his back faced the group. He thrust out his right hand where a purple magic circle formed in front of it. _**"Purple Rain!"**_ He yelled while exhaling. A barrage of purple orbs was projected from the magic circle and began to bombard the Magic Power finder at breakneck speed. Each individual orb generated a small explosion which kicked up dust. After a few seconds, the spell ended which caused Macao to withdraw from his stance and observe the outcome. The dust eventually cleared which revealed a number above the Magic Power Finder. "1541!" Macao cheered.

"No one can mess with my dad!" Romeo cheered from the sidelines.

"Not bad at all Old Man. Now imagine what that number could turn to if you do some intense training!" Natsu nodded in approval.

This time, Bisca decided to chip in. "If Macao of all people can do that, then so can I!" She stated as she swapped places with Macao who now stood off to the side.

"We'll just see about that." Macao chuckled as he couldn't take the woman seriously.

" **Requip!"** She yelled which caused a Magic Pump-Action Shotgun to form in her hands. Without hesitating, Bisca took aim at the Magic Power Finder and activated her spell while she pulled the gun's trigger. _**"Wide Shot!"**_ A single bullet was fired from the Shotgun which split into an array of magical attacks before pelting the device. After she finished her attack, Bisca placed her gun away and the number above the Magic Power Finder appeared. "1477!" She exclaimed while thrusting her gun in the air.

"Cutting it close." Macao sweatdropped in relief.

"Great job Bisca!" Natsu congratulated before directing his attention down the line. "Max? You gonna go next?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Max sarcastically sighed before reluctantly taking Bisca's place. He took a stance similar to Macao while a magic circle formed underneath his feet. _**"**_ Let's just get this over with… _ **Sand Rebellion!"**_ He roared which cause particles of sand to rise from around the guild and circle the Magic Power Finder. The longer he held his stance, the more particles began to circle the target. With a sweeping motion of his outstretched hand, the sand imploded causing a massive amount of wind to generate. Many of the guild members, save Natsu, had to hold onto one another to prevent the wind from knocking them off their feet. After Max regained his composure and lowered his stance, the sand particles began to settle which revealed his number atop the Magic Power Finder. "1854!" He yelled while cracking his knuckles.

Macao's jaw simply went slack. "And here I thought I was still alive and kicking." He was able to mutter which caused Wakaba to exchange places with Max who made his way to the side.

"Don't worry man! I'll show these kids not to overlook us." Wakaba comforted Macao as while taking a rather relaxed stance. Instead of preparing for an attack, he simply took his pipe out of his mouth to activate his spell. " _ **Smoke Crush."**_ He stated with a startling cool voice. Immediately, a green magic circle formed over his mouth as he exhaled smoke through it. The smoke took the appearance of multiple fists that began to assault the Magic Power Finder from multiple directions. After the smoke finished its onslaught and slowly began to dissipate into the surrounding air, Wakaba put his pipe back in his mouth as the Magic Power Finder displayed his number. "1162?!" Wakaba gripped his head before falling to his knees. "Someone avenge us." He began to comically weep before crawling over to the side.

"Don't worry guys, we still have a month to improve on everything. That's plenty of time to prove your worth." Natsu encouraged.

"As if! It's about time someone put you perverts in your place!" Laki taunted both men before taking Wakaba's place in front of the Magic Power Finder. She planted her right foot behind her in order to brace her body from the knockback generated from her spell. _**"Wood-Make: Violent Approach!"**_ Laki commanded as a magic circle generated around her clasped hands that were raised above her head. She shoved her hands towards the Magic Power Finder which caused an enormous spiked ball made of wood to be hurled towards it. Once the wooden ball hit the device, it continued rolling into the lake leaving the Magic Power Finder in a slightly different position then it was originally placed. Laki's number was readable once the device stabilized itself. "1957! That's what I'm talking about!"

Natsu smiled towards Laki before responding. "Looks like we have a new high score!" He declared before Reedus reluctantly took Laki's place. At this point, Reedus just wanted to get his spell done with despite how embarrassed he felt at his guild mates success.

"I'll- I'll try my best Master Natsu." Reedus shyly stated before briskly doodling a boar on his stomach. _**"Nature, Run Wild."**_ He meekly chanted. A green magic circle formed on Reedus's stomach which was accompanied by a storm of multicolored boars being projected from it which began to move towards the device hovering by the lake. Upon contacting their target, the boars began to fade into the air around the Magic Power finder leaving Reedus with his number. "16-1680?" He quietly questioned in awe before scampering off to the side with the other finished mages.

"Great Job Reedus!" Kinana and Romeo encouraged him after the attack ended.

"See Reedus? There's no reason to be shy at all! If you think you could have done better, just imagine how much that score can improve over the next month!" Natsu supported the shy mage who was getting words of encouragement from those who had already gotten their scores. The Dragon Slayer then directed his attention to the duo standing next to each other in line. "Jet and Droy? Since I know you're still coping with Levy and trying to rework your team, I'll allow the two of you to combine spells while attacking the Magic Power Finder. That could come in handy during the Magic Coalition because we can prove how our training methods impact an overall team."

"MASTERNATSUTHANKYOU!" The duo hurriedly said as they bowed in his presence before positioning themselves in front of the Magic Power Finder. They simply nodded to each other before casting their individual spells together.

" _ **Knuckle Plant!"**_ Droy commanded before tossing two seeds on either side of the Magic Power Finder. Once the seeds touched the ground, they immediately produced large vines with fists that began to rapidly pummel the device.

Before the Magic Power Finder could display the spell's power, Jet dashed towards the device. **"Falcon Heavenward!"** He yelled before kneeing it. The device was sent into the air slightly before hovering back down with their combined number.

"2454! WOHOO!" They yelled simultaneously before bro fisting each other at the sidelines.

"Nice job guys. Just remember not to get too cocky. That was a combined score. Since the two of you are around the same power range, I would say you would both have an individual score of around 1200."

Back towards the wall, Alzack manned up the courage to go next if it meant he had the chance to impress his crush. _"This is for you Bisca."_ He thought to himself as he approached the Magic Power Finder before someone else got the chance to kill his bravery.

" **Requip!"** He yelled which caused dual Magic Pump-Action Shotguns to form in both his hands. Without hesitating, Alzack took aim at the Magic Power Finder and activated his spell with the pull of his weapon's triggers. _**"Wide Shot!"**_ He snapped whilst circling the Magic Power Finder in a number of different patterns. One moment, he would be soaring through the air; the next moment, he was sliding beneath the device while continuing his onslaught. A single bullet was fired each time he pulled the trigger, splitting into an array of magical attacks before pelting the device. After he finished his assault, Alzack simply walked towards the sidelines without bothering to marvel his score. He blew on his shotgun's blistering barrels before placing them away. All the while, Bisca blushed fiercely while she barely managed to stutter the number above the Magic Power Finder. "2508!" She exclaimed while avoiding eye contact with Alzack. All the other members present were left equally as shocked save Natsu.

The guild Master simply nodded in major approval before directing his attention to Nab and Vijeeter still in line. "Hey guys? I'm going to be honest, I didn't think that the Magic Power Finder would be able to combine spells like it did with Jet and Droy. Since Vijeeter's magic is much more support based and seeing how both of you are partners, would you be willing to both go at the same time? This would also give me a way to compare how the two of you improve when compared to Jet and Droy."

"LET'S DO IT!" The two mages high fived each other before approaching the levitating device.

"Those were some smooth moves Alzack! Let's see if Nab and I can do better." Vijeeter stated before lowering his center of gravity so he could start furiously break dancing behind his partner. Immediately, Nab's right arm began to emit a fierce red aura. "You're powered up Nab! Now let's see some of those moves!" Vijeeter encouraged his friend.

Nab nodded in response. "Here goes nothing. _**Animal Arm!"**_ He roared as the aura around his arm took the form of a boar. The momentum produced by his swing flung his body at breakneck speed towards the Magic Power Finder. Nab aimed his right arm so that the levitating device took the entire blunt of his right hook while following up with a staggering shoulder charge. After his shoulder charge made contact, the Magic Power Finder was driven straight into the ground leaving a sizeable crack that led into the lake. Nab moved out of the way so everyone could see the number displayed above the device that slowly began to reset its position.

"2744!? WHAT NO ONE CAN BEAT THAT." Macao and Wakaba exclaimed together in helplessness.

"No offense Warren." Wakaba quickly apologized to the last person in line.

"OH- No- I mean, don't worry about it. I don't even know why I'm standing in line. My magic doesn't even have offensive capabilities." Warren sheepishly said while moving to the sidelines as he could only use Telepathy.

Natsu immediately responded to this. "That doesn't mean you can't improve on it. Didn't you say long ago that the more magical potential you have, the more people you could communicate with over a longer distance?"

Warren smiled in hopefulness. "You have a point. I guess that's what training will be for."

Macao began to speak once he noticed everyone had finished gauging their magical potential. "Master Natsu, what else did you want to do today?"

Natsu took a few moments to form his words before he spoke aloud. "First off, I want to say that everyone did an amazing job today! Even though the lowest score was 1165, that's still 3 times the power that an average Rune Knight Captain possesses. Not to mention that'll only get better with time. I know this took a while and might seem useless, but a month from now, we're going to have to show the Magic Coalition how much we've improved just by me diverting attention to you guys. I plan on Warren using his magic later to transfer my thoughts to a Lacrima to serve as proof for all our improvements. Not to mention it'll help me remember what everyone got." Natsu flashed a toothy grin before Macao groaned.

"Typical Natsu."

"Anyways, the improvements you'll have made by that time will be represented by how much your individual scores increase!" Natsu finished his sentence. Before he could continue speaking, Romeo began to wave his hand from the sideline where everyone else was standing.

"WAITWAITWAIT! Master Natsu… You're forgetting someone." He said with a large smirk on his face.

This caused Natsu's eyes to widen in embarrassment. "AWW CRAP! WAIT DON'T TELL ME!" He exclaimed before mulling beneath his voice. "Let me see… First went Macao… Then Bisca used her Magic Pump-Action Shotgun… Then it was-"

Romeo giggled before responding. "Nuh-uh. It's none of them… When are YOU going to go. Aren't you also going to train with us also?" He finally revealed the answer.

This caused Macao to comically cover his son's mouth from beside him. "Close your mouth! I don't need to look older then I've already been made out to be."

Natsu scratched his head in embarrassment. "Nice catch buddy! I guess I was so wrapped up with making sure everyone got done before the sun rose too high that I forgot to go myself." Natsu paused before glancing to the sun off to the side. The heat was just barely tolerable meaning he wouldn't exhaust himself if he used up too much magic. "We've got time for one more person." The Dragon Slayer shrugged as he made his approach to the Magic Power Finder.

Romeo began to jump in excitement. "YES! Do you know what spell you're going to use?!"

"Yeah... I know of one." Natsu simply smirked before cracking his neck. This caused everyone on the sidelines to move backwards farther down the training area. The group was as now around 25 meters away from the Dragon Slayer.

Macao was the first to speak after increasing his distance. "I wouldn't go any closer Romeo."

Bisca and Alzack began to unintentionally huddle closer together while Romeo and Kinana sat in front of the group leaning forward. Everyone else stood behind the sitting duo.

Wakaba chuckled at his friend's response. "It can't be that bad Macao. The kid's been I the infirmary for the past week. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Then why are we standing all the way back here?" Alzack deadpanned.

Once the chatter began to die down, Natsu finally positioned himself meters away from the Magic Power Finder with the spell he was ready to cast in mind. A deathly silence fell upon the group awaiting the unexpected. Romeo and Kinana could barely contain their excitement as this was the first time they were going to see their role model use, most likely, his most powerful spell uninterrupted.

Natsu drowned out the onlooking stairs everyone was giving him and inhaled deeply. He stood upright in a normal, everyday stance as he prepared to activate his spell. The moment that his Nakama were waiting for had come.

"Flame Lotus…" Natsu exhaled while fire began to warp around his fists before encasing them with fire. For a moment, time stood still. Then, without warning, he charged the Magic Power Finder at a speed that trumped Jet. " _ **FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!"**_ He roared which caused everyone to reflexively cover their ears. Without losing any of his momentum, the Dragon Slayer kept his right foot planted behind him in a fighting stance. His left foot providing him with leverage to attack once he was in close combat distance of his target. He used his momentum to propel his fists encased in spheres of fire towards the Magic Power Finder. Each punch he delivered was so fast that it looked like a blur to its observers all the while generating a perfect explosion that warped around the Magic Power Finder. Each explosion continued into the lake for miles. Every punch that Natsu propelled continued to rattle the ears of the onlookers as the speed at which they were delivered generated brutal shockwaves.

" **AAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!"** Natsu leaped into the air with his left foot only to fire the spheres from an aerial stance as a projectile. As his fists continued to move at a blinding rate, the spheres launched were moving so fast that Natsu's knuckles appeared to be projecting a constant stream of them. He gave the Magic Power Finder absolutely no time to process his score as the aerial explosions caused the ground to vibrate uncontrollably. His attack continued for 20 seconds before he felt fatigue wash over him. With the remaining power he could muster, Natsu combined the two remaining spheres with the clasp of his hands before lowering himself in a kneeling stance: smashing the device against the ground with the swipe of his hands connecting with the device.

There was no smoke or dust as the spell was flawlessly executed. The explosions were driven straight into the Magic Power Finder before warping around it into the distant lake or the ground. This left an almost endless crater right below where the Magic Power Finder continued to levitate.

"Heh. For a moment there, I thought I wasn't going to transition fast enough before the Magic Power Finder displayed my score." Natsu managed to state before collapsing on his back.

Everyone was either wide eyed in shock or left reeling at the spectacle that unfolded. Romeo and Kinana were able to break the silence with slow, uncoordinated applause followed by the rest of the guild cheering and beginning to clap alongside them. The duo began to dart towards their role model followed by everyone else so they could congratulate Natsu on the flawlessly executed attack.

"NATSU! THAT WAS AMAZING! YOU WERE LIKE 'AAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH' AND THEN YOU STARTED SHOOTING THE SPHERES FROM YOUR FISTS IN MIDAIR LIKE BULLETS AND… THAT WAS JUST SO COOL!" Romeo said as he tried to mimic the Dragon Slayer.

"I did it just for you buddy. That's definitely enough magic for today though. I haven't used that spell since I fought that idiot, Gajeel." Natsu smiled as he sat up weakly to view his score while the rest of his Nakama patted his back. "That's what I'm talking about. 8500. Right on the money." He marveled at his score.

"You lie." Macao reluctantly said as he lifted his head to observe the score he was originally too far away to see. There it was levitating right above the endless crater: 8500. This was by far one of the Dragon Slayer's most powerful attacks although it drained him of magic completely.

"Im- Impossible." Alzack and Bisca stuttered together. The rest of the guild members stood in awe from the number displayed.

As everyone could barely respond to the events that unfolded, Natsu began to stand up slowly to conclude today's training session. "We finished just in time! The sun is right over the guild now." He paused to glance at the blinding sun. "Even though the Magic Coalition is still a month from now, that doesn't mean we can't prepare for it during our free time. I think we can all agree that I need a new outfit and some office supplies to slowly settle into being our new Guild Master. That'll be the perfect time to discuss the details as to what we're going to say to say in front of the Magic Coalition so we can make this situation less farfetched. Tomorrow, we'll begin our first day of training with basic drills and routines so be sure to dress appropriately. Don't worry about meeting up in the guild hall. Just make your way here around the guild hall by the time we start." Natsu finished.

" **Suh- Sounds like a plan**!" Many of the guildmates stuttered in approval still shocked from Natsu's score.

Kinana continued from where Natsu finished. "So if we're done for the day, who wants something to eat before we do a little shopping?"

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** First off, yes, Natsu's score generated by the Magic Power Finder was nearly as high as Jura's during the Grand Magic Games (8544). Do I believe that ruins his character? Not in the slightest. This was obviously one of Natsu's strongest attacks (I would say _**Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade**_ is his strongest). The amount of magic required for Natsu's spell to be successfully executed left him completely incapacitated after being cast. It's not like he pulled this out of his rear end and is able to walk away unfazed: there's a reason he only uses these as a last resort or a finisher in the anime. This attack shattered Gajeel's Metal Exoskeleton, left him unable to retaliate (someone who remained undefeated), and destroyed the rest of Phantom Lord's Guild hall: this is a number that I believe firmly represents that.

As for next chapter, you could probably tell it's going to be much more relaxed. It's going to be more focused towards Natsu -GASP- Shopping, improving his flaws, changing his look, and getting used to his position as Guild Master. I might throw in some extra surprises littered in there. Don't worry though, Chapter 8 will still have purpose. Hope to see you then!


	8. Chapter 8 - A New Look

**Author's Note (IMPORTANT):** First off, if anyone here is good at drawing or knows anyone that is, I'm open to accepting new Fanart (for this Fanfiction's cover) that depict's Natsu's new outfit described in this chapter. I'll be sure to give the person credit in whatever form as long as it's reasonable. I was just looking for something that can represent this Fanfiction to its fullest potential. Feel free to add any details to the Fanart that you wish as long as it follows the general description provided.

Second, do you guys think that everything is moving at an acceptable pace? This is honestly what I think is the major problem right now. I feel like things are moving much more slower than I intended to. I mean, 60K words in and we're about to begin the next arc in Chapter 10 (hopefully). If that's an issue, remember, I read ALL reviews and try to respond to as many of them as possible. NOTIFY ME.

Anyways, the first MAJOR timeskip will come directly after the Magic Coalition. I'm not going to say how long it'll be, but more of that will be provided come time. I realize that there's not much action happening in terms of how the plot is progressing (part of the reason I'm worried), but I actually wanted to ask you guys about that right now! **What would you guys like the arc after the Magic Coalition to be?** I was actually thinking about something on the lines of "Fairy Tail Vs. a new Dark Guild." Who knows? I might even bring back the Magical Alliance apart of the Oracion Seis arc if enough of you are interested.

That being said, let me know what you guys think and feel free to drop suggestions. On with the Fanfiction!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter eight: A New Look**

"Hey Bisca, Did Master Natsu tell you when he was going to come back?"

"Sorry Alzack, all he said was that he was running up to his house to grab some Jewels before we left to go shopping."

Kinana promptly joined the conversation at the bar while she hung up her apron. "His house is only a 10 minute walk away. He should be back any minute now. In the meantime, we should decide where we're going to shop at."

Alzack chuckled at Kinana's response. "C'mon Kinana. You know the Magnolia Outlets are the only place around here worth shopping at. Even I know that and I don't even shop!"

"Hey! I just wanted to check that we weren't going to take a train and shop outside of Magnolia Town." Kinana pouted.

"And risk Master Natsu throwing up on my lap? No, thank you. Magnolia Outlets it is." Bisca laughed in response. Before she could continue, the guild's doors were pushed open as the silhouette of a person walked out of the blinding noon light into the lively guild hall.

"Sorry for the wait guys! I wanted to make sure my house was locked up properly just in case I decide to spend another late night in my office. Did you guys already decide where we're going to shop for the day?" The person called out.

"Hey Master Natsu! Don't worry about being late. We were just starting to wonder where you were. Since you rarely go shopping, we're going to head up to the Magnolia Outlets at the entrance of the town. They have EVERYTHING we're looking for up there." Bisca smiled as she got up from her barstool.

"I'm fine with that. I guess that means we can all get our shopping done at the same place. How would you say we schedule the rest of the day?" Natsu questioned seeing as Bisca knew more about shopping than he did.

"We should first start walking towards the Magnolia Outlets, so we can have as much time to shop. I can tell you what I have planned on the way over there." Bisca suggested.

"Sounds fine with me." Natsu shrugged before Bisca led the group towards the guild's entrance. Once they began to open the wooden doors, Natsu turned around and diverted his attention to the other guild members that were scattered around the guild. "Alright guys! I'm going to head out to shop with Alzack, Bisca, and Kinana. If we're not back by the time the guild is supposed to close, just make sure you shut the front doors behind you so I can lock up. Remember, we're not going to meet up inside the guild hall tomorrow before our training session. Just make your way to the rear of the guild so we can get started as soon as possible. I'll see you later, my Nakama." Natsu sincerely smiled.

" **BYE MASTER NATSU!"** The guild members smiled back to him exiting the guild hall.

* * *

The group began to walk through the cobblestone streets of Magnolia while Natsu once again questioned what Bisca recommended they do. "Now what is it you have planned for the rest of the day?"

Bisca briskly responded. "Thanks for reminding me! So here's what I was thinking; first, we should go shopping for new clothing. Have you ever heard of the fashion label called Heart Kreuz?"

Natsu responded after a few moments of thinking. "I think so. Erza's breastplate was branded by them. Isn't that for girls though?" He asked skeptically.

"You're right on the money. The thing is, the counterpart to Heart Kreuz is a label called Men and Mages. It's an extremely popular fashion brand among guys, and it just so happens there's a store by the Magnolia Outlets that sells their complete inventory. The reason we're going there first is because if you plan to order something custom, it'll usually take the rest of the day to be made. We can stop back there at the end of the day to pick up a custom order if you chose to place one."

"I have no problems with that." Natsu shrugged before directing his attention towards Alzack. "What about you?"

"I've always wanted to check that place out. Let's do it." Alzack agreed.

"The best thing about this particular Men and Mages is that it's directly connected to a Heart Kreuz store. That way, we don't need to split into two different groups to visit each individual store. I guess the both retailers wanted to save money because they share the same workshop used to fill custom orders." Bisca stated in response.

"So what do we do once we're done there?" Natsu asked.

Bisca peered over her shoulders to make sure no strangers were listening to her plans before continuing. "We'll probably be feeling hungry again. That'll be the perfect time to stop by the food court, get something to eat, and discuss possible plans for the Magic Coalition."

"Why are we whispering?" Kinana murmured as she leaned into the group.

Natsu was the first to respond in an equally soft tone. "No one else knows about the Magic Coalition yet. It's not going to be announced until next week's Sorcerer Magazine is released. We probably don't want to attract any unwanted attention right now. If anyone else finds out about the true purpose of the Magic Coalition, I can kiss being Guild Master goodbye."

"What he said." Alzack whispered.

"That reminds me, let's stop by the bookstore to preorder next week's Sorcerer Magazine issue. I'll have it delivered to the guild." Natsu added.

"Good idea Natsu." Bisca whispered before returning to her original tone. "Anyways, once we're done eating, that's when we can stop by the bookstore. We can then pick up some office supplies for Master Natsu and have those shipped out to the guild hall the same day our magazines are delivered. And of course, if you decide to place a custom order at Men and Mages, we'll stop there last to pick it up for purchase."

"Is that it?" Natsu asked.

"That's it." Bisca smiled towards him. "We're almost at the outlets. There's probably a ton of traffic up there since they're right by Magnolia Town's enterance. It's just on the other side of Kardia Cathedral." She finished with a smile as she gazed up at the massive, Gothic structure looming in front of them.

Once the group rounded the church, they could visibly see the straight cobblestone path that led to Magnolia Forest. On the sides of the path were large stores that caught the attention of many of the travelers visiting the town.

Bisca put a hand on Kinana's shoulder before pointing towards one of the department stores diagonal to them. "There it is!"

Above the entrance to the department store was a sign that read "Men and Mages" which caught the attention of the group. Directly connected to the building was a smaller section that met another large department store. Right above the entrance to the adjacent building was a sign that read "Heart Kreuz."

"Alright then. It's time for a fresh start!" Natsu exclaimed while Bisca led the group to the entrance of Men and Mages.

A man inside the building with a sharp suit and black earpiece opened the door to allow the group to enter. "Welcome to Men and Mages." The man greeted. "We have multiple image consultants positioned around our store at desks to help guide you through our extensive inventory. We hope that you enjoy your visit."

"Thank you!" Bisca thanked the man as she gestured for the group to find a consultant. The store was extremely easy to navigate and nothing over the top. Each section was dedicated to a different form of clothing that someone could wear. The group began to walk on the marble pathway that led around the interior.

Alzack was so mesmerized by how professional everything was that he could barely speak to Bisca. "They can afford free image consultants?!" He managed to stutter.

"Yes, they can." Bisca simple stated proudly as the group approached an available desk located at the rear of the store.

There was a beautiful woman behind it with brown hair who was ready to greet them. "Welcome to Men and Mages. My name is Jasmine, and I would be more than happy to be your consultant during your visit. Is there anything in specific I can help you with?" She stood up to shake each person's hand. Bisca and Kinana simply stepped out of the way to give Natsu and Alzack some room to speak.

Alzack was the first to respond as his request was much simpler than the Dragon Slayer's. "I'm not looking for anything over the top. Would you happen to have anything that complements my Western look?"

"Yes, sir! Personally, I would recommend you try on one of our brown fedoras as they complement the traditional 'cowboy' image along with the beige khakis you're wearing. They're located to the left of where I'm sitting." She paused to gesture towards the assortment of hats at the far corner of the store. "You can finish off your outfit with a pair of cowboy boots which are found on the opposite end of the store." The woman smiled towards her customer.

"Thank you for helping me." Alzack bowed before stepping off to the side with Bisca and Kinana.

Before Natsu could begin speaking to Jasmine, he quickly diverted his attention to the rest of his group standing off to the side. "You guys go on and find what Alzack is looking for. We can meet up in the workshop because I plan on placing a custom order and want to take my time with it." He paused before directing his attention to his image consultant. "Only if Jasmine doesn't mind."

She responded without hesitation. "Not at all! Please, take all the time you need. I'm here to help aid whatever you can vision yourself wearing"

This was enough for Bisca to respond. "Alright Natsu. Don't forget about us! We'll meet you in the workshop when you're done." She smiled before leaving with Alzack and Kinana to give Natsu some privacy.

Jasmine was the first to speak once the group left. "You're welcome to take a seat." She offered as Natsu pulled the chair out from under the desk. She continued to pull out a piece of paper and a pen inside her desk's drawer to jot down whatever her customer told her. "Just to confirm, you're interested in placing a custom order?"

"Yup!"

"Perfect. Just let your thoughts run free and I'll do my best to match your description."

"I'm pretty sure it's obvious, but I seriously need a new outfit." Natsu gestured towards his worn and wrinkled in clothes which caused Jasmine to smile. "The only thing I plan on keeping is the scarf I have on right now. I was thinking of something along the lines of a red cloak with black trim that reaches down to my knees and can't be buttoned. Underneath the cloak would be a black T-Shirt which leads into a pair of charcoal pants: maybe even jeans if you can picture that on me. The outfit would be finished with a pair of combat boots." He finished.

Jasmine began to scribble down the final requests from Natsu before pressing on. "This is a perfect baseline to begin off of. If you don't mind, would you mind telling me what you plan on using it for?"

"I'm currently a mage so I was hoping my outfit would be able to handle basic spells without tearing or ripping."

"A mage? Are you apart of a guild?" Jasmine stirred up small talk that could benefit her consultation.

"Yeah, have you ever heard of Fairy Tail?"

"Considering my daughter absolutely adores one of your mages, I would say yes." Jasmine chuckled towards the Dragon Slayer.

"No kidding? Which member does your daughter look up to?"

"She keeps talking about someone named Natsu Dragneel and how he uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. You wouldn't happen to know who that is?"

Natsu chuckled before responding. "Know him? You're looking at him!" He then revealed his guild mark beneath his scarf's tip.

This caused Jasmine to widen her eyes in disbelief. "You're joking."

Natsu continued by holding out his right hand and formed a red magic circle in his palm. In the center of the magic circle was the outline of a red Dragon.

Jasmine immediately apologized to Natsu. "I'm so sorry for not knowing sooner. I've never seen you before. My daughter just mentions you a ton around the house." The woman grew slightly red in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it." Natsu flashed her a toothy grin. "I was just hoping that you could use what I said to make me a new outfit that complements my magic."

"Say no more! In fact, If I could make a suggestion, would you be inclined to swap out the black undershirt you described with a piece of light armor?"

Natsu hesitated before frowning. "I've never preferred using armor. It usually takes away from my movement and flexibility during battles."

"That's understandable, but it would be very minor and almost unnoticeable. In all honesty, it would probably be more for aesthetics. At the end of the day, yes, it still is armor considering it will protect you from knives and basic spells."

"As long as it doesn't interfere with my mobility, I'll be opened to seeing how it would look on me."

"That's great to hear! So what are you hoping to achieve with your new look?"

Natsu paused before responding. "Sorry if I sound rude, but I want the outfit to be on the badass end. Not nearly to the point where it's intimidating, but something that's able to present itself without attracting too much attention."

"Uh-huh... Interseting." Jasmine finished writing her notes down before looking back up at Natsu. "Perfect. We're nearly done here." She stated while passing Natsu her pen. "Would you mind holding my pen in your hand and clicking the tip twice? This specific pen takes your measurements, so we don't need to waste time determining all your dimensions."

Natsu clicked the pen is hands which caused a bright aura to encase his body briefly before dissipating. "Did it work?" He asked while handing Jasmine her pen back.

"Yes sir! I've just buzzed in another image consultant to take my place while I can take you to our workshop. We can head there and submit your order for you to come pick up later."

"Sounds great." Natsu responded as Jasmine got up from the desk and led him to the door to the right of the department store. This connected directly to the workshop that his group was going to meet him at.

* * *

15 minutes had passed since Natsu began his consultation. Jasmine held the door open for Natsu so they could step into the small workshop. Once they both entered, Natsu noticed that Alzack, Bisca, and Kinana were standing beside the front entrance waiting for him to arrive. All of them had bags in their hands. He then gestured for them to come his way right as Jasmine began to speak. "There's one other person ahead of you in line who needs her order tended to. I need to help her before we're able to confirm your order, but you're welcome to stand behind her in the meantime." The group overheard once they arrived.

"No problem." Natsu flashed Jasmine his signature toothy grin before she went behind the counter to help her customer. He then diverted his attention to his group. "So, Alzack, did you find everything you were looking for?"

"Easily! Everything is so organized here that we even had time to stop by Heart Kreuz next door so Bisca and Kinana could do their shopping." He responded. Everyone held up their bags as proof that they had finished their shopping for the day.

"That's great! Now we have more time to eat at the food court."

"Guess what else?" Kinana chipped in.

"Tell me."

"Alzack even had time to quickly run to the bookstore across the street and place an order for next week's Sorcerer Magazine issue."

Natsu looked up to Alzack before speaking. "You did that?"

"Yup! The thing is, I was kind of out of money, so the bill is going to come be mailed with the box of magazines." He said while rubbing his head sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you remembered! I'll charge it to Fairy Tail's revenue… Or the little we have of it." Natsu frowned in disappointment.

Bisca was the first to respond to his disappointment. "Master Natsu, we actually wanted to talk to you about that at the food court later on. Right now, we should wait behind that girl for our turn. I think Jasmine's just about to help her out."

"C'mon then." The Dragon Slayer gestured towards the girl that Jasmine was just about to help.

"You guys stay here in the meantime. Me and Kinana can head to the food court and save us a table!" Alzack suggested before he was about to leave with the purple haired girl.

"Good idea." Bisca said while she approached the counter with Natsu. "We'll see you guys there in a few minutes." She finished before diverting her attention back to Jasmine and her customer. The sound of the door chime was followed by Alzack and Kinana heading back out into the streets.

A few seconds of silence fell between the Natsu and Bisca before Jasmine diverted her attention from the workshop's computer to the girl in front of them. Natsu's enhanced hearing allowed him to tune into the conversation that began to unfold. "Hello ma'am, how may I help you?"

The girl responded with a startlingly calm tone. "Yes, I placed a custom order a week ago from Heart Kreuz and wanted to know the status of it."

"May I have the order number?" Jasmine responded.

"45166295." The girl slowly read out in an even tone.

Jasmine then began to type the girl's order number on the computer next to her. The next couple of moments turned to silence while Jasmine continued to confirm the status of the order placed. Natsu, on the other hand, was absolutely transfixed with the girl standing in front of them. He scanned her entire body as he was left completely dumbstruck as to how her voice was able to remain so calm yet void of emotion.

His actions didn't go unnoticed by Bisca who overlooked that Natsu was able to pick up on the girl's conversation with his enhanced hearing. She began to think to herself. _"Now why's Master Natsu so interested in this girl all of a sudden? He's looking at her the same way Master Makarov would look at Mira. Could it be…"_ Bisca cut off her thoughts as a dirty smirk washed over her face in realization.

Before Bisca could pull Natsu to the side to discuss his actions, Jasmine began to speak to the girl again. "Did you happen to order a custom sword?"

"Yes." The girl stoically responded.

"Then your order is nearly complete. It will be ready by the end of the day once our blacksmiths put the finishing touches you requested on it. Please stop by before we close so you can complete your purchase."

"Thank you." The girl bowed before turning around and accidentally bumping into Natsu who was standing right behind her.

"Uh- I'm… Excuse me." Natsu stuttered as he stared into the woman's hazel eyes.

"Yes, pardon me also." The girl responded before she walked away without another word. Natsu turned around to view her rear as he still couldn't sense any emotion from her. The girl triggered the door chime, walked out the door, and began to travel into the streets of Magnolia.

Natsu's stares once again failed to go unnoticed by Bisca. Jasmine interrupted her thoughts again before she was given another opportunity to talk to the Dragon Slayer. "Natsu? Please just give me a minute to process your order number with the craftsman. After that, you'll be all set!" She said before walking into the room behind the counter.

" _Perfect."_ Bisca smiled to herself as she now had some privacy with her Guild Master. "I see what you're doing Master Natsu." She jokingly nudged the boy's "perverted" actions.

"See what?" Natsu asked completely oblivious to the fact that Bisca thought he was ogling the young girl.

Bisca instead continued to jokingly agree with his actions. "There's nothing to be ashamed of Master Natsu, she was a very beautiful girl. I'll give you that much for having a sharp eye."

"What are you actually talking about?" Natsu deadpanned. "Sure, she was pretty, but something about her personality threw me off. It's almost like she has no emotion." Natsu shivered slightly. Unlike what Bisca was suggesting, Natsu only turned around to see if he could sense the girl's personality.

"Suuurrrreeeee. Whatever you say. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

" _What is she going on about?"_ Natsu thought to himself in complete innocence.

Before Bisca could continue her teasing, Jasmine returned from room behind the counter and began to speak to the Dragon Slayer. "Your order was successfully confirmed! Are you able to read this?" She said whilst handing him a slip of paper.

"Yup! It says 45178596."

"That's everything you need then. Your order will be finished by the end of the day. Just stop by before we close so you can complete your purchase."

Natsu held out his hand to Jasmine who shook it before he responded. "Thanks so much for taking the time to help me create a new outfit. I can't wait to see how it looks on me. Tell your daughter to stop by the guild hall whenever she wants to! We're always looking for more members to join our family." He finished by flashing her a toothy grin.

"No, thank you for choosing to shop here. Just wait until my daughter hears I met her role model at work. She'll definitely end up joining once she's older." Jasmine smiled before releasing her grip. After Natsu said his goodbyes, he then started to follow Bisca towards the entrance of the workshop and entered the streets of Magnolia with her.

"You feeling hungry?" Bisca asked.

"What do you think the answer to that question is?"

* * *

The food court was the first attraction that observers had when entering Magnolia Town. It was an assortment of different restaurants that lined the street with tables outside for customers to sit at. The restaurant closest to the entrance was a pizza parlor. Alzack and Kinana were currently sitting outside the restaurant with a large box of cheese pizza at the center of their table. Natsu and Bisca approached them and began to sat down. All the while, Natsu began to drool as his enhanced hearing picked up the aroma from their table.

"How'd it do?" Alzack asked the duo that began to sit down.

Natsu was barely able to respond. "Great. I got my order number and Jasmine said my outfit will be done by the end of the day."

"That's good news. Now we'll definitely be able to finish all of our shopping today." Alzack paused because he noticed Natsu's distant stare. "I hope you didn't mind, but me and Kinana already purchased some pizza. We figured that Master Natsu would be hungry by the time he got here so we didn't want him to suffer waiting. Help yourselves out!"

This served as enough of a reason for Natsu and Bisca to grab slices of pizza and slowly nibble away. While Bisca indulged in her pizza, she began to bring up what she wanted to talk to him about at the workshop. "Master Natsu? Do you remember how you brought up our guild's revenue when Alzack said he placed the order for next week's Sorcerer Magazine issue?

"Yeah, you said that you wanted to talk about that more in depth once we got our food. What's on your mind?"

"You know how Master Makarov nominated you for the S-Class exams?"

"Don't remind me." Natsu teased.

"Well, I think it would be good if you tried going on some S-Class quests. I'm not saying you should be a full time S-Class mage, but you should really consider it. We're not going to be able to pay off expenses and support our guild hall unless we find a way to reel in money." Bisca seriously suggested.

"I was actually thinking about that in the office last night before I fell asleep. You know? The future for our guild hall. I remember the argument I gave to Gran Doma during our meeting was that he had no reason to appoint me as Guild Master since our strongest mages are gone. We no longer have revenue to support ourselves now since no one is going on those S-Class quests to earn extra Jewels. That's why I wanted to give some serious attention to you guys in terms of training. We're going to need more people then just me going on these S-Class quests."

"The thing is, how long will that take?" Kinana asked worriedly.

"That's the problem though. Even Erza, the youngest S-Class mage in Fairy Tail, took four years until she was nominated for the S-Class exams. Four years." Natsu stressed again. "The fact is… I don't even think Fairy Tail has four years. I can support us for two years at most with the money I get from normal quests and the occasional S-Class quest I might take. But by that time, we're going to need more mages. If not, we'll be filling for bankruptcy even if we don't destroy anything." Natsu frowned.

Bisca was the first to respond to this. "So part of the reason you're training us is so we're better equipped to support our guild?"

"That's exactly part of the reason. The fact is, Macao was right. I can't do this all on my own. We need each other more than ever."

"Master Natsu, what do you need from us?"

Natsu surveyed the area to ensue no one was listening in on their conversation before continuing in a low voice. "I need you all to take what Macao said seriously. We can't revert back to our original reckless behavior. Starting this morning, the first three hours of our day will be dedicated to training. I know this sounds brutal and impossible, but I plan on halving the time it took Erza to get promoted to S-Class. The three hour block every morning will have a five mile run, arranging into groups for sparring, followed up with water aerobics which we'll use the lake for. The Magic Coalition will be the beginning of this transgression. I said it before, but I know training like the back of my hand. If you listen to what I say, who knows? You might even surpass Erza in a couple of years. Everything applies to me also… I'll be training with you every step of the way."

The members at the table all fully agreed with their Guild Master. This was the only way to support Fairy Tail.

"Master Natsu, what you said to Gran Doma kind of makes sense now. I mean, the whole purpose for you training us is proof for the Magic Coalition that giving attention to mages will ensure that no other guild is placed in the same situation as we are. If our power as a guild was spread out more evenly, we wouldn't need to be struggling to take on quests that demand higher levels of magical potential. That way, we would actually be able to afford to pay off expenses. I guess the same is with the Magic Council actually interfering with guild affairs since the citizens of Fiore have realized the lack of that and begun to doubt their effectiveness because of how rowdy we could be in the past."

"Don't worry, they don't have to care about that anymore." Alzack scoffed. "We can't afford to file for bankruptcy if we destroy property. Then, the Magic Council would have reason to disband us. They win either way since if Master Natsu's title is revoked, our guild will automatically be disbanded."

"Yup, that's why training for the Magic Coalition is so important. We need to prove to them that we can benefit the guilds around Fiore if they all follow in our footsteps and divert their attention to their individual guildmates. If that's the case, they would be able to support themselves during a time of disaster. And the Magic Council? If the Magic Coalition doesn't like what I have to say, the Magic Council will get to remove me as Guild Master in a month from now and keep stability by diverting attention to other guilds, like we have to our Nakama, as a way to provide comfort in hopes no more destruction is caused. If everything somehow manages to play out and I stay Guild Master, they lose nothing considering I still have to behave from now on. I made a promise to them not to destroy anything else. Alzack is spot on." Natsu finished with a mutter.

"It's alright to be mad at them Master Natsu. They shouldn't have tricked us like that when they knew we're trying our hardest to support ourselves." Kinana encouraged.

"Honestly, that's the least of my concerns now. The thing is, Bisca made me realize that our problem extends much further than it already does."

"What do you mean?" Bisca responded.

"The problem here is that once we're done proving to the Magic Council that providing attention to individual guild mates is beneficial, we need to worry about ourselves. What will happen two years from now if we still don't have a way to pay off taxes and other expenses? Everything I'll have to say a month from now would be wrong if we still can't support our future. I mean, I can't just say that 'My Nakama trained really hard for the past month. If you do the same, you can send your guildmates on S-Class quests by themselves.' This is something that's obviously going to take time."

"But what about the Magic Coalition? Doesn't that matter most?"

"I was getting to that. Don't get me wrong, even though the Magic Council played us during the meeting, consider the Magic Coalition as a time to relax, meet other guilds, and interact with new people. Whatever we present there isn't going to be the final product. That will be accomplished over years of dedication to improve the state of Fairy Tail. Just know the future we have ahead of us. And if we meet people on the way ready to support ourselves during our journey together, we can welcome them to our family. But for the next few years, until we can stabilize our guild, everything is going according to how Gran Doma planned." Natsu spat the last part.

"It seems like Gran Doma is one step ahead of us…" Alzack sighed. "Now that it all makes sense, how are we going to convince the Magic Coalition that Natsu's system is better than the one that's been in place for 400 years?"

"Isn't that what we were doing all this morning? We've been training as proof that we can better our guild for the better if Guild Master's payed more attention to their guildmates." Bisca added.

Natsu simply leaned back in his chair, wiped the pizza sauce on his mouth, and responded. "Bingo. It all starts from that. I mean, starting this morning, we've been working on changing our guild's structure if it meant that we kept our family together. No surprise there, but that's the future we need to make sure happens. This isn't something I plan on doing for a day, then taking a week's break, and then maybe continue it in another week. We're doing this for all the reasons that lead us up to where we are right now starting from when I messed up my leg. Why should other guilds fight against that? Gran Doma might be Chariman of the Magic Council, but we have something that he doesn't: a family. We understand how to improve each other's flaws over time which could benefit Fiore if everyone else follows."

As the atmosphere began to lose its intensity, Bisca made another suggestion to Natsu as they diverted to another topic. "Master Natsu, please don't take this the wrong way, but Macao was the one to suggest that it was in our best interest to begin training for the Magic Coalition. You know? So we have proof that diverting attention to your guildmates can improve our state over time. That led to you realizing that even after the Magic Coalition, we still have to keep this up for the next two years in order to avoid any consequences that follow not being able to pay off taxes and expenses."

"What's so wrong about that?"

"Well, I was hoping that you would consider Macao as your advisor. He's been alive longer then you have, and he knows some things about magic that none of us have experienced yet. He would essentially be your second in command. He would be in charge of the guild when you had to tend to formal business outside the guild hall, he'd be the one in charge of training once we've gotten a grip on it, and he'd be there to give you advice. He's practically like your second father."

"Macao was the one to tell me that being Guild Master doesn't mean I have to work by myself. I'll bring it up with him, but he's the one with the final word." Natsu compromised.

This time, Alzack decided to respond. "Honestly, that could even serve as proof to the Magic Coalition to consider a new guild system. Guilds shouldn't just give more attention to all their mages, but should constantly be improving their futures together. That way, Guild Masters don't have to worry about the state of the guild when they're away. I mean, look what happened when Master Makarov vanished with the rest of the Tenrou Group. We were arguing so much over who would be the next Guild Master, I thought we would be forced to disband for not choosing someone! If it weren't for Master Natsu, I don't know where we'd be..."

Natsu began to process everything again before responded. He hoped to lighten the somber mood that Alzack introduced. "Great thinking guys. We'll definitely bring up everything we've learned with the Magic Coalition. Not only that, but I'm feeling pretty good about the next couple of years until I'll need to choose more S-Class mages. Just remember that both these things start with training. Now we just have to hope that the Magic Coalition agrees with us and doesn't think this is all farfetched."

"Just remember Master Natsu, you won't be choosing for long. Me and Alzack will be your S-Class mages. You can count on it!" Bisca joked with a wink.

"We'll see." Natsu smirked in response.

The group had long finished the pizza that they purchased. Bisca stood up to throw the box away before gesturing for the group to follow her. "You guys finished yet? We've still got to get Master Natsu a new desk. Then we can check back at Men and Mages to see if his outfit is done."

Kinana simply nodded before Alzack and Natsu shrugged. "Sounds good to me." They responded while standing up.

"The office store isn't too far from where the pizza place was. It's actually a couple stores down from where the department stores are." Bisca stated as the group began to walk through the streets of Magnolia again. This time, back towards Kardia Catherdal.

"Will they have something to make my office look less simple? There's going to be a lot of work to catch up on." Natsu frowned.

"They've bound to. The place we're visiting is called Home and Office and their craftsman handcrafts everything there. Actually, you can see the store right over there." Bisca pointed out as the group passed by the department stores.

The Home and Office store was connected to a couple small business grocery stores and was closest to Kardia Cathedral. The exterior was very simple only having a front entrance with a small staircase leading up to it. Next to the entrance was a wooden sign that read "Home and Office" welcoming those to enter. Bisca led the group up the staircase and into the store where they were welcomed by an elderly man who was polishing the front counter.

"Welcome to Home and Office. Is there anything you're looking for in particular?" The elderly man asked as he dusted off his apron.

Natsu stepped forward from the group to respond. "Hey, I'm looking for a new desk for my office along with some supplies. My old desk in there was too simple and wouldn't be able to keep up with my new work load."

"Ah! So, you're looking for some of everything I see. Our office supplies are right here in the front of the store. Most people who come in here generally shop for basic items like pens, parchment, and small office accessories which are easily at this end. As you move towards the rear of the store, you'll find more larger objects such as desks. The most expensive and elaborate desks line the back of the store. All of our desks are handmade by our master wood craftsman. Please feel free to call me if you need any assistance." The elderly man smiled before returning to behind the counter off to the right.

"Thanks for your help." Natsu returned the smile before making a beeline to the rear of the store. The rest of his group trailed behind him and admired the handwork that was for sale before coming to the back wall lined with wooden desks. Natsu's eyes darted towards a large desk at the mid rear end of the store that had its own raised platform. An English Cabinet Partners' Desk was atop it. The desk had a sign off to the side which read the details.

"Legal and Letter Hanging Folders.

Serpentine leather top.

Three drawers above.

Three further drawers to each pedestal.

Lockable side cabinets.

Adjustable shelf.

Collection: The English Cabinet Maker.

Style: Regency.

Materials: Flame Walnut, Rosewood Veneer, Leather."

Natsu simply admired it from different angles before speaking. "It's perfect!"

Alzack responded as he also began to observe the masterpiece. "It is a pretty neat desk… But there isn't a price tag."

This went unnoticed by the elderly man who made his way to the group. "I assume you've found something that caught your interest?"

Natsu immediately turned around to face him. "You bet! How much for the one on that platform?"

The old man instantly became flustered. "I'm so sorry! But that desk is merely for display! We've never had someone willing to purchase it."

"How bad can it be? Just tell me the price and I'm sure we can work something out."

"Well, that's the reason no one wants to purchase it. It's valued at 100,000 Jewels." The man blatantly stated. Kinana's Jaw went completely slack upon hearing this.

What Natsu said next nearly caused the elderly man to pass out. "Done deal! I'll pay in cash right after I head to the front of the store to pick out some other supplies."

Instead of objecting, the elderly man simply removed the sign off to the side and went back to the front of the store to remove the item from their inventory. He didn't want the Dragon Slayer to change his mind. Natsu and his group then made their way to the front of the store again to check out what other supplies they had.

Alzack, who was still to stunned by the amount of money Natsu was willing to spend, began to speak. "Wh- What other stuff are you going to purchase?"

"Just some pens, envelopes, and paper. I'll order shipments of those also and have them sent to the guild next week when we get my desk and issues of Sorcerer Magazine." He finished before gesturing for them to follow him to the front counter.

"Master Natsu, don't forget that you also have to pay for your outfit you purchased from Men and Mages." Bisca warned.

"Don't worry about that. I have tons of money still left over. It's all from my quests I went on with Team Natsu. I never had a reason to spend any of it since I always wore the same outfit. Plus, I only had to pay for food and property expenses." Natsu stated before turning his attention to the elderly man. "So I'll be purchasing the desk, and an order of pens, envelopes, and paper."

"Will- Will that be all?" The man stuttered.

"Aye sir! Please make the entire shipment out to the Fairy Tail Guild hall."

"The total will be 100,750 Jewels." The man said as he began to process the order. Natsu took out a stack of bills from his pocket and began to shell them onto the counter.

The elderly man confirmed he was payed the correct amount before responding. "Thu- Thank you for your business. Your shipment will arrive next week once we're able to transfer your purchase." He stated while handing Natsu his receipt.

"Thanks for helping us!" Natsu replied before the group followed him out of the store.

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon of Magnolia Town. Bisca began to lead Natsu, Alzack, and Kinana back to Men and Mages in order to finish their shopping for the day. She looked over her shoulder to speak to the group behind her. "We're going to finish just in time! Now all we have to do is pick up Master Natsu's outfit and we can call it a day."

"Good thing to. All of us are going to need as much rest as we can get for tomorrow morning." Natsu stated while leaning his head back into his folded arms.

"Umm… Master Natsu?"

"What's up Kinana?" He replied.

"Does the training apply to Romeo and me?" She worriedly asked.

Natsu unfolded his arms so he could put a comforting grip on her shoulder. "Are you afraid that it's going to be too much for you to handle?"

"Mhhhmmm. We really want to help Fairy Tail, but we can't even use magic in the first place. What if we can't handle the training?"

"Kinana, don't you say that. The training sounds difficult, and it is. I'm not going to lie to you. For the first week, just worry on completing everything I tell you to. It doesn't matter if you take more than an hour to complete the five mile run. It doesn't matter if you can't use magic to spar. Hell, maybe you could be the worst swimmer here. But isn't that why we're training in the first place? We're trying to improve on that! One day, you'll learn to use magic. And you know what? All the training will pay off since you won't have to catch up!" Natsu smiled down at her before looking back up to Alzack and Bisca who were paying attention to him. "That includes all of us. The first week, just worry on trying your best. What I'm trying to say is don't be inconsistent. Keep your pace for the entire five mile run instead of sprinting, stopping, sprinting, and repeating the process. By the time we get more information on the Magic Coalition, I'll expect improvements from you guys." He finished before placing his arms behind his head again.

Bisca joked as the group began to approach the entrance to the workshop. "Thanks for the clarification Master Natsu. I feel a lot better knowing you're not here to ruin our lives. Anyways, are you ready to go inside?"

"Let's do it! Time to see how my new outfit looks on me!" Natsu declared as the group entered.

Since it was the end of the day, the workshop war nearly empty aside from a handful of last minute shoppers purchasing their items. Natsu and his friends approached a clerk who was behind the counter ready to help them.

"Hey, I'm here to pick up an order that I placed this morning from Men and Mages. The person who helped me was Jasmine… Is she still here?" Natsu looked around hoping he could find the woman that assisted him this morning.

"I'm sorry, but she left an hour ago. If you could give me your order number, I'd be happy to get it for you."

"Sure thing." Natsu replied while pulling out the slip of paper Jasmine gave him and handed it to the clerk. "Here it is."

"Thank you. Let me see if it's ready for pickup." The woman replied before kneeling down. She scanned the shelve below the counter for an item with the order number that Natsu handed her. She then reached out to grab a large grey bag with a note on it before rising back up to hand it to Natsu. "Mister Dragneel?" She questioned out loud.

"That's me!"

"Jasmine told me that she added some properties to your outfit in specific. They're all on this note here. I'll notify you of what they are if you are satisfied with your order. Everything you requested is this bag. You can try your outfit on in the changing room off to the right side." The woman smiled while tearing off the note with the properties listed. She then handed the bag to Natsu who made his was to the changing rooms off to the side.

Bisca called out to him as she made her way with Alzack and Kinana to the side. "We'll be right here when you're finished!" She called out. Natsu simply held up his hand in response before he entered the isolated rooms.

* * *

A couple of minutes had passed since Natsu entered the changing room. His wrinkled clothes were off to the side and he was currently standing in front of a body mirror while wearing his new outfit. Everything about what he ordered matched the description he gave perfectly.

His charcoal jeans were loose enough to provide him with mobility, but they fit snug around him.

Even though Jasmine recommended he swapped out the black T-Shirt that he suggested with a piece of chainmail armor for his chest, she still included it as an undershirt. And just like she promised, the piece of chainmail kept him completely mobile while providing him with a sense of security.

The centerpiece to his outfit was by far the most impressive item. It was a red cloak with black trim that separated into five pieces just below his knees. Two of the pieces were next to his sides while the other three surrounded his back half of his body. The cloak tightened slightly at his waist before parting a small amount towards shoulders. The cloak was able to be fastened around his neck by the lapels to hold it in place. The most interesting feature to the outfit, however, was a hawklike creature with bright red, orange, and yellow plumage sewed onto the upper right part of the cloak's chest. Natsu still had no idea what it resembled.

Lastly, Jasmine was kind enough to provide him with a pair of black, silk socks that accompanied his black combat boots. Everything was made of extremely comfortable, fine, yet durable material. The Dragon Slayer tossed his old clothes into the grey bag before returning to the main workshop.

When Natsu exited the changing rooms, he was swarmed by his group who wanted to admire his new outfit. Alzack whistled out loud as he examined the Dragon Slayer. "Whew! Jasmine sure knew what she was doing! You look like a total badass! I sure wouldn't want to mess with you."

Bisca added to Alzack's comment. "He's right. That outfit matches you perfectly! That's just what you needed to fit your new title as Guild Master."

Kinana shyly spoke from besides them. "It looks really cool Master Natsu. Romeo is going to freak out when he sees it." She blushed.

"Aww, thanks guys." Natsu stated while ruffling Kinana's hair. "Now it's time to see how much I have to pay." He finished while leading the group to the woman who gave him his outfit to try on.

As he approached the counter, Natsu noticed that the clerk was already helping another girl who arrived while he was in the changing room. Bisca immediately recognized the girl and leaned in to whisper to him. "Well, Well, Well. Look who it is Master Natsu." She joked while gesturing to the girl standing in front of the counter.

Standing in front of the group was the same girl that Natsu bumped into this afternoon while confirming his order with Jasmine. The clerk momentarily diverted her attention from the girl to address Natsu. "Please give me a few moments. I'm just going to fetch this customer's order from the workshop." She said before entering the back room.

The group was now left alone behind the girl in line. Natsu separated from Bisca's side without a word and left her and the rest of the group. He then approached the girl from the side and noticed her figure. She was slim yet had a bust that was sizeable and still developing. All the while Natsu still couldn't identify any sort of emotion coming from her.

Another smirk began to plaster across Bisca's face. _"Master Natsu, you could have just asked for some privacy. Don't worry though, I understand."_ She thought to herself before speaking out loud. "Hey Alzack and Kinana? We should probably move off to the side and let Natsu stand in line by himself. The workshop is going to close soon so we should probably make room for other people to move around more easily."

Natsu noticed that his Nakama were moving off to the side. " _Why'd Bisca leave me here by myself? I swear, she acts really weird when I'm around this girl for some reason."_ He then began to speak once he knew for sure that the girl knew he was beside her. "'Hey… Aren't you that girl I bumped into earlier?"

The girl responded after a moment. "I suppose." She calmly replied while staring ahead.

"The woman that helped us earlier this afternoon said that you ordered a sword, eh?"

"Yes. I specialize in swordsmanship."

"That's cool. Yah know, a friend of mine used to be considered the greatest mage of Sword Magic in Fiore."

This intrigued the girl standing next to him. "Who might that be?" She said while turning to face him.

"Have you heard of Erza Titania Scarlet before?"

"I have. An acquaintance of mine told me about her not too long ago."

"Yup. That's her! Now that I think of it, you remind me a bit of her considering you practice swordsmanship."

"Yes. We are both mages and we both practice swordsmanship. However, unlike Titania, I do not use Sword Magic. The sword that I have ordered is rather an item that I have invested much of my magical potential into."

"That's cool! So what's the reason for you getting a new sword? Did Erza inspire you?"

Instead of Natsu receiving another emotionless response as expected, he was given one with bitterness. "That is none of your concern." The girl snapped.

This caused Natsu to flinch. "I'm- I'm sorry if something I said made you angry. I just thought that since you heard about Erza recently, she was the reason for you-"

"In no way was she the reason for me ordering a new sword. Your accusations are short minded, and you obviously are still pressing the subject. I suggest you leave before you make your situation worse for yourself." The girl interrupted with hostility.

Bisca overheard the change in mood of Natsu's conversation. Just as she was about to intervene and defend her Guild Master, the clerk came back with the girl's order. "Excuse me? Here's your sword just as promised! Now it's just a matter of payment." The woman said as she glanced at the computer next to her after handing the girl her order. "The total will be 500,000 Jewels."

"Of course." The girl responded while taking out her purse for payment. As she began to shell the Jewels out on the counter, Natsu was taken back by the second change in emotion that he expected not to exist within the girl standing beside him: slight fear as her eyes widened. "I am afraid that I am 10,000 Jewels short. May I please pay with the 400,000 Jewels in my possession along with a 100,000 Jewel note?"

"I'm sorry young lady, but my policies forbid notes over 50,000 Jewels. If you are unable to pay for the sword, I'm afraid I must put it up for sale, since our workshop will be closing in a couple of minutes." She insisted while reaching out for the sword in the girl's hands.

The girl clutched it towards her chest before responding with a quivering voice. "Would you mind reserving it for me until tomorrow morning? I'll be able to bring proper change tomorrow." She begged as she couldn't bare losing her most valued possession.

Natsu overheard the girl's conversation and took a 10,000 Jewel note from his pocket before the atmosphere could escalate. He then placed it beside the stack of money that the girl already shelled out on the counter before speaking. "Now that her sword is payed for, could I please purchase my outfit."

The woman hesitated before responding. When she realized that Natsu was paying for the remainder of the sword, she spoke out loud. "Yes sir!" The woman stated in relief as she diverted her attention to the money on the counter and put it into the cash register. She was thankful for the Dragon slayer diffusing the situation before she had to deal with a tearful customer. The girl, on the other hand, was too shocked from Natsu's actions to respond considering the way she treated him before. All she could do was listen to the conversation that began to unfold. The woman behind the counter began to tend to Natsu. "Is everything to your liking?"

"Absolutely."

"Then here are the properties that Jasmine added. First off, your outfit is resistant to magic, so you don't have to worry about ripping it. Second, she noted that your Guild Mark is on your upper right shoulder. If you concentrate your magic to that location on your clothing, it will go transparent allowing your guild mark to be visible as proof of membership. It keeps you from looking unprofessional by needing to roll up your sleeve as proof of your guild's membership."

"Wuh-Wow… That's some real neat stuff. I have one question though. Did she say what this weird bird thing on the chest is?"

"OH! Yes, Jasmine said that's a Firebird."

"A Firebird?"

"Yes… Did she tell you how her daughter is a really big fan of your guild?"

"Yup."

"Well, Jasmine found her daughter crying in her room around a week ago. I'm sorry for bringing this up, but when Jasmine asked her daughter why she was crying, it was because some of her favorite Fairy Tail members had passed away in a tragic accident."

Natsu went slightly somber upon hearing this. "Yeah… That's what happened."

"But that's the reason Jasmine added that bird on your right chest! It's said that the Firebird is a mythical creature with feathers that never stop glowing. Even when it loses one, the feather is able to light up a house for eternity. When Jasmine saw energetic and happy you were after you stated you were a Fairy Tail member, she assumed you were getting over the loss of your friends: in the case of the feathers, you continue to glow brightly."

"Wow… That's deep." Natsu dumbly replied in awe.

"She hoped you would like the small addition. Unfortunately, it's almost closing time. Is there anything else you need?"

"That'll be all."

"Then your payment adds to 80,000 Jewels. I could tack on an extra 2,000 Jewels if you would you like an extra shipment of your outfit to be mailed too your address next week." She offered.

"That'll be perfect."

"Then your total comes to 82,000 Jewels."

Natsu shelled out the correct bill before the woman behind the counter printed out his receipt to hand to him. Natsu thanked the woman for her time before leaving the store with his group in order to call it a day. After all, he still needed to clean out Master Makarov's office of his old possessions.

The woman then redirected her attention towards the girl once Natsu's group left the workshop. "My apologies for the wait with your sword. Our blacksmiths nearly forgot to forge that metallic chain you wanted attached to the hilt."

"That is quite alright. Thank you for your time..." The girl stated with an ever so slight frown. Even though she managed to compose her exterior, she felt a tinge of guilt from lashing out at the person who was the reason her most valued possession now belonged to her. Not only that, but she also was slightly fascinated by him. _"He's apart of the Fairy Tail guild...? I... I didn't even get to know his name. According to this woman, his closest friends passed away and yet he's so compassionate and selfless."_ The girl began to lower her head as even more embarrassment washed over her.

She regained the last of her composure then ran out into the streets of Magnolia to see if he was still wandering around the area: but to no avail. The man and his group were no longer in sight. Instead, the beautiful girl sighed and held up her sheathed sword to the setting sun behind Kardia Cathedral. The rays of the sun shone on the metallic chain that was attached to sword's handguard wrapped in bandages. She then read the one word engraved into the chain out loud to herself. "Archenemy."

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** Surprise, surprise, surprise. I just didn't want you guys thinking that I forgot about _her_. When will she come back? Stick around to find out.

There's nothing much that really needs to be restated. The only thing you should take away is that Bisca made Natsu realize that the whole situation with the Magic Council extends further than what they'll face at the Magic Coalition: so much to the point where she recommended that Macao be Natsu's advisor over the guild hall.

That being said, I might even stop the second **Author's Note** at the end until we get to the next arc seeing as they're getting shorter and shorter. With that out of the way, I hope to see you all soon!


	9. Chapter 9 - Improvements

**Author's Note (lots of information):** Welcome back everyone! It feels like forever since I last updated. I know this chapter is a tad bit shorter than what I've been trying to update with, but there's A LOT of new information you're about to be introduced to. The last thing I want to do is overwhelm you guys with too much stuff.

Next chapter will most likely be the start of the Magic Coalition. If it is, expect the word count to be around the same as this chapter. The update after that will be around the 10K mark. You'll understand why that's the case after you're done reading this chapter.

What about the future ahead after the Magic Coalition? What's going to happen after that? Well, I've already have the second arc planned out and even referenced it slightly during this chapter.

As always, I'm open to reviews. There's no way this Fanfiction is perfect, so don't hesitate to speak up if I can improve on something. Hell, I've had two reviews already request that Fairy Heat (Lumen Histoire) should be introduced into the Fanfiction. Those two reviews get their idea referenced later in this chapter as a part of the next arc that Natsu mentions. See if you can spot this upcoming arc for yourself. Not only that, but now that I had time to brainstorm this upcoming arc, Fairy Heart might just be a large contributing factor to it! Plus... It really feels good getting them. As cheesy as it sounds, there's a warm feeling you get in your heart when you know your work satisfies someone else!

Once again, if this confuses you, you should hopefully understand what I'm talking about once you get around halfway through this chapter.

Please don't take this the wrong way though; I'm not trying to exclude people who don't review in any way or make it seem like I value some reviews over others. I try to respond to as many of your reviews as possible and address your suggestions within them. It just gets a bit hectic trying to update frequently, continue my daily activities, and make sure I respond to your reviews in a well thought out manner. What I'm trying to say is that **this is your story as much as it is mine! Don't forget that.** Even if I don't respond to what you might comment on, I'm always reading and acknowledging your presence.

With that out of the way, here's the update you've been waiting for! Enjoy!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter nine: Improvements**

"C'mon guys. What are you all waiting for? Five mile run. Let's go!" Natsu gestured as he began to jog.

" **AYE SIR!"** The guild members present chanted before following behind him.

A week had passed since Natsu began his intense training schedule, yet he could already sense drastic power increases from everyone. He remembered that it took the group more than an hour to fully complete the five mile run when they first started. Now that they had a better idea about how far they could push their bodies, they managed to shave precious minutes off their times throughout the short week.

Natsu began to lead the group away from the training field behind the guild hall and out towards the outskirts of Magnolia. They continued following the raised forest outlining the town before reaching the town's entrance. From there, Natsu circled halfway around the entire perimeter to head back the way he led his guildmates.

This method was perfect. The group always passed Kinana and Romeo on the way back, who were the slowest, which made sure that they were able to keep up.

Natsu was the first to reenter the guild's training field before turning back around to be met with his guildmates trailing seconds behind him. They waited a couple minutes more before Kinana and Romeo made their ways back. All of them were tired, but they had learned to manage their energy accordingly over the past week for the tasks ahead of them. Natsu knew they all still had energy to continue. He said one word before stepping off to the side. "Teams."

With that, everyone immediately began to scramble to find sparring partners. Since Kinana and Romeo couldn't use magic, Natsu made sure every team was different each day to ensure everyone was introduced to new magic: specifically, the two adolescents. The group practiced evading, blocking, and using spells to increase their overall capabilities.

Since there were 15 mages at the time, that meant Natsu was the odd one left out. Instead of sitting on the sidelines or using the time to tend to official guild business, he would constantly pace around the field to monitor all the sparring taking place. Occasionally, he would join in on a group momentarily, participate in sparring, or even give personal advice and motivation. If he needed to, he would call specific guildmates over to the Magic Power Finder levitating above the crater he created to gauge some of their attacks.

This continued until the second hour had passed. Natsu then head back to the front of the group and began to instruct them again. "Water Aerobics. You know what to do."

With that, all his Nakama immediately began stripping their clothing which revealed bathing suits under their everyday attire. This was the most enjoyable moment for the girls. Even though winter was still ending, they finally got to cool off with their next set of activities.

For the men, however, this was their most enjoyable moment since most of the girls opted for bikinis. Macao and Wakaba simply fist bumped each other before Macao spoke. "This is why we must NEVER doubt Master Natsu's decisions." Macao whispered low enough to avoid Natsu's enhanced hearing. The duo stared towards Bisca who stretched her calves by bending over to touch her toes. This earned a flustered nod from Wakaba as he tried to hold his composure together.

Natsu simply took off his combat boots, socks, chain armor, and cloak. He kept his jeans and T-Shirt on him. He placed all other clothing on the sidelines before bolting at breakneck speed towards the lake and doing a graceful swan dive into it. All his guildmates followed as a massive wave was generated in response. They lined the shoreline while Natsu swam farther out to speak to them. "Alrighty! Today we're doing Freestyle 500s. Kinana and Romeo, you can make those 100s since swimming is much more taxing then running."

This earned groans from the group as they began to argue. "C'mon Master Natsu, swimming is supposed to be fun! We've been training all week long. At least give us a break just for today."

Jet and Droy agreed before Natsu could respond. "She's right Natsu! Swimming's a lot harder for us then running. Could we at least make those 400s?"

This caused all the guild members in the water to slowly start agreeing with one another. Natsu gave them a fake smile before continuing. "Sure thing! Let's make those 1000s and 200s then. I assume you're all fine with Butterfly?"

"NO!" His guildmates objected while they began to helplessly whimper.

"You'd better hurry up before I make you go all out." Natsu jokingly warned. Before he was given the chance to increase their work load, his guildmates complied by lining up against the shoreline and swimming laps from each end. Just as when they were running, Natsu was at the head of the pack. He led the group with each lap and they were all able to keep a steady pace.

Even Natsu was surprised at how well everyone was keeping up with him considering Butterfly was the hardest stroke for them to learn and swim over long distances. Kinana and Romeo were the first to finish and watched their Nakama slowly complete their final lap from the shore. Everyone else, including Natsu, barely had the strength to pull themselves up onto the shoreline as fatigue ushered over them.

Natsu panted violently and began to speak once he was standing in front of everyone who regrouped on shore. "This… This was by far the toughest day of training so far. I- know I'm pushing you guys hard, but you have no idea how much you've improved since we first started." Natsu sincerely smiled before gaining the strength to hold up a crystal Lacrima he grabbed from his cloak.

Max was the first to respond once he caught his breath. "What's… What's that?"

"This is the proof we're going to use during the Magic Coalition of our improvements. Do you guys remember when I said that I was going to use a Lacrima to record out progress over the month we're training?" The group nodded in response before Natsu continued. "Whelp… This is it. Everything from when we first started is in here. You name it: from the scores you achieved on the Magic Power Finder, to the improvements in training we're doing right now. It's all recorded." He finished with a smile.

Natsu then glanced behind him over the guild to note the sun's position. It wasn't quite over them which meant he still had time to train. However, he barely had any strength to continue as fatigue ushered over him. If Natsu didn't have the strength to continue, then there was no way his Nakama did either. "We still have about 30 minutes left." He stated.

" **Ugh."** The guild members collectively groaned.

"BUT!" Natsu interjected. "You guys deserve some rest. I mean, even I was barely able to complete the training for today. The fact that you guys were still able to keep up means more to me then you're probably thinking right now. And to think, this all started from what Porlyusica told me in the infirmary," He paused. Natsu's guild members began to smile in relief and satisfaction at what they accomplished before Natsu said one more thing. "They… I mean the Tenrou Group… would be proud."

Everyone had tears of happiness and inspiration welling up in their eyes. Macao walked up to Natsu and slung his arm around him before speaking. "So, Master Natsu, when's our training going to pay off?" His newest advisor asked.

Natsu laughed before responding. "If you're talking about when we're going to get more information about the Magic Coalition, this week's issue of Sorcerer Magazine should be shipped today along with everything else I was shopping for. I mean, that's gotta be the case! The Magic Coalition is supposed to be held next week."

"Maybe all your shopping stuff got here while we were training!" Romeo suggested next to Kinana.

Nab added to this comment. "He's right. We've been training for three hours. Let's go check guild's entrance!"

Natsu stopped everyone before they could make a beeline to the front of the guild. "Woah, now! Hold on, we've still got the rest of the day. You all should shower and rest up for a few minutes. Then we can go check if everything arrived." He said before scooping his belongings off and making his way to his office.

His advisor called out to the Dragon Slayer. "Oi, Master Natsu! Where are you going? Aren't you going to shower with us? You've soaking wet!"

The Dragon slayer simply flared up his magic. The flames that encased him instantly evaporated the water dripping from his body before he made his was into the guild hall. "I'll be in my office taking care of some business that I promised to get to. You guys can just leave the Magic Power Finder where it is like always. Macao, make sure everybody is in the main guild hall in 15 minutes."

* * *

A gentle draft was circulating around Natsu's office which provided him with comfort as he hacked away at Master Makarov's old desk. All the drawers were piled by the trash can with the legal documents within them sorted into a separate binder.

"There we go!" Natsu grunted while tearing off the wooden panel that separated him from the inside frame. He tossed it towards the trash can before peering into the desk to see if he could spot anything of interest. "What the hell is that?" On the side of the desk opposite from where he found the Magic Power Finder was a small box around the size of his hand. Natsu reached into the frame to pull the box out from the wooden rail it was perched on.

He carefully blew on the black box to remove the dust from it before prying the lid open. The lid folded back to reveal a yellow orb that looked oddly cold to touch. The center of the orb resembled the slit of a dragon's eye with a lightning like pattern that jetted out from the slit. Natsu noticed two folded notes on the inside of the lid which he hoped would identify the orb sitting in front of him. He took the first note in his hands and unfolded it which revealed a set of cut diary entries inscribed on the parchment.

" _Day 1,_

 _Year: X771_

 _Age of subject: 10_

 _The operation was a success; the subject's body accepted the Lacrima without any rejection whatsoever. Only time will tell the full magical potential rewarded from my actions performed. If I a ultimately successful, I have a vision to utilize and mass produce these Lacrima to gain undeniable power as well as an irrepressible army!_

 _Day 783,_

 _Year: X773_

 _Age of subject: 12_

 _The power of the Lacrima is… Frightening. With every passing day, the subject's power increases. If this continues, surely, there will be no future for Fairy Tail. My vision is becoming a reality._

 _Day 2533,_

 _Year: X778_

 _Age of subject: 17_

 _My subject was appointed as an S-Class mage. The magical potential the subject possesses is in all practicality insurmountable. It's only a matter of time before I can harvest this power for myself and use it to exploit the Fairy Tail Guild once and for all. We'll see what happens to this so called 'family' when they learn the dark truth that this guild was founded on. The days of its 'Nakama' are numbered. I will begin my vision shortly."_

Natsu was utterly confused as to what he read. Whose diary entries were these? Who was the subject? Why are they mass producing Lacrima? Does this writer's vision have anything to do with Fairy Tail? Most importantly, are they a threat to Fairy Tail? After dismissing his shocked composure, he pried the second note out of the lid before reading it in hopes that it would clarify the situation.

"Reason for excommunication,

Ivan Dreyar is hereby excommunicated from the Fairy Tail Guild hall for abusing the use of a Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima. The threat that he currently posses to Fairy Tail and my children is too great if he were to carry out this 'vision' of his and find a way to mass produce these for his own will. I can not in good conscious allow this to go unnoticed when our greatest weapon hangs in the balance of someone who will use the power of these Lacrima to achieve said weapon. I have confiscated the other Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima in his possession. Furthermore, for good measure, I have removed all magical properties from it should it fall into the wrong hands."

Natsu was shocked to say the least and he began to speak to himself. "So- So this is the reason Ivan was removed from Fairy Tail. He was using his subject- I mean Laxus- to gain power over us. Its gotta be Laxus. I mean, there's only one other person I know who's both an S-Class mage and uses Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic. It seems things are back to normal. I don't think I have to worry about our 'weapon' being abused anymore. Whatever it is, Ivan is excommunicated. He shouldn't be a threat anymore."

Natsu ignited both notes in his hands to preserve the confidential nature of them before picking up the Lacrima. "So, Gramps said that the magic was removed from it. Is that why it's so cold? I wonder if there's a way to restore it back to its original state." Natsu asked himself. He stared into the seemingly endless center before shaking his head violently. "I don't have time for this. The Magic Coalition is a week away. Even after that with Macao as my advisor, my priority is my Nakama. Maybe in a couple of years, when we're able to support ourselves more easily, I could find a way to restore this to its original state. But for now, it's best if I keep this a secret so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

Natsu pocketed the Lacrima into the inside of his cloak before using his strength to push the disassembled desk towards the trash can. He tossed the box on top of the frame into the trash can before making his way down to the guild's main floor.

* * *

Just like Natsu instructed, Macao had ordered everyone to take a seat at the wings of the guild hall. The atmosphere was filled with suspense and excitement. Wakaba was currently placing bets with the other members about where the Magic Coalition was going to take place. Other members were stirring small talk about some of the activities that might be available or possible new magic they might be introduced to.

Natsu made his way to the entrance of the guild which caused everyone to stop their chatter. All the guild members diverted their attention towards him before he opened the entrance's large double doors only to be met with the blinding noon light. Once his vision adjusted, his eyes rested upon three boxes and a letter perched atop the largest next to the doors. He then looked over his shoulder to call out into the guild hall. "Macao and Wakaba? I'm going to need some help moving these boxes!"

The two men immediately ran towards the entrance to assist their Guild Master. Macao helped Natsu push the largest box while Wakaba walked back into the guild hall with the other two boxes stacked on top of each other. The doors closed behind them as the men placed everything by the bar.

"Alright! Time to see if my bets payed off." Wakaba exclaimed while he made his way to open the box he carried. The top had tape that ran across it which read "Sorcerer Magazine." He tore the box open before beginning to distribute the magazines to the guild members who began to circle the bar.

Natsu began to examine the front cover of the magazine along with everyone else. What they weren't expecting, was an aerial image of Magnolia South Gate Park to be the cover image. Inside the park looked to be construction that was being held. On the bottom right of the cover was black print that read "Magic Coalition."

Reedus was the first to respond to this. "Pardon? But isn't this a picture of Magnolia South Gate Park? Since when was it undergoing construction?"

"We've been training all week, so it's not surprising that they were able so sneak this under our noses." Laki responded.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still don't know what this all means." Natsu cautioned before thumbing his way through the magazine. The first page was littered with information describing the purpose of the Magic Coalition being held. It also described the guilds and independent mages of Fiore who were allowed to participate in the event.

Wakaba was the first to respond out of distress. "AWWW CRAP! LAKI WAS RIGHT! There goes my Jewels." He sighed as he held up the first page to the guild. The writing he pointed out confirmed that Magnolia South Gate Park was the location of where the Magic Coalition was being held.

Natsu simply laughed in response. "HAH! The Magic Council is really trying to kiss up to our guild since our meeting. At least we know what they're up to, so they can't take advantage of us in the future anymore."

"Hey, at least this is really convenient for us. You won't have to worry about taking transportation." Macao added. "Anyways, how's this event going to be organized?"

Natsu flipped to the next page before responding. "It says here that the primary attractions are going to be separate booths and kiosks where guilds can display their plans for the future along with their current mages ."

Macao interjected before he could continue. "This could actually work in our favor since you promised in your meeting with the Magic Council that interacting with guilds would in turn improve magical potential over time."

Natsu nodded before continuing. "There's also going to be events such as exhibition matches, games involving magic, and independent mages possibly looking for new guilds… All courteous of the Magic Council." Natsu snorted as he read that final part.

"What's so bad about the Magic Council supplying us with all of this?" Macao questioned at Natsu's change in attitude.

"Think of it like this, even with Lacrima recording that serves as proof for the attention I've been giving you guys , what's going to stop the Magic Council, or even the Magic Coalition for that matter, from believing that we were 'holding back' during our primary assessments when we began training? That way, it would only look like we improved over time?"

"Shoot. That never crossed my mind." Macao hesitated before continuing. "Still, I wouldn't worry about it. I mean, the Magic Council knows that the rest of us weren't nearly as close in power to the Tenrou Group when they vanished. Gran Doma is half relying on us to not support ourselves for the coming years, so we'll definitely surprise him when he realizes that our magical potential is now comparable to that of most of the Tenrou Group. It doesn't really matter that everything is still a work in progress. What does he expect, for us to rival Gildarts Clive from a month's worth of training?"

Natsu pat Macao's back before chuckling. "Couldn't have said it better myself. If Gran Doma has a problem with us needing to take our time with all this, he's basically contradicting himself. He said it himself, there's going to need to be a transgression between the condition that both of us are in when compared to what we're trying to accomplish. At the end of the day, I did say that they're very similar. Who knows? Maybe after we're done proving them wrong in the next few years, they'll actually learn to trust us."

Nab continued to thumb though his magazine before speaking. "Master Natsu? I was just wondering, what's our specific plans for the Magic Coalition?"

"You mean other than training? First off, this should also be a time for us to interact with other guilds. Aside from what we're accomplishing now, the next best thing would be to form friendships with them. We're gonna need connections outside of Fairy Tail throughout our future to understand what's happening outside of just Magnolia Town."

"Makes sense." Nab shrugged.

"Not only that, but if what I said to the Magic Council is going to be implemented, I need to show other guilds that we need to constantly interact with one another in a cooperative effort. They need to see firsthand the improvements we've made from all of our training and collaboration as a single guild. That can serve as proof for how we can help each other to ensure no other guild winds up in our situation. So far, we haven't really been doing a good job of that. I've been so busy lately, that I haven't had time to even introduce myself to the other Guild Masters." Natsu frowned.

His advisor was the first to respond. "We haven't been able to get a break ever since the Tenrou Group vanished. After the Magic Coalition, hopefully we'll some short term relief because we'll know that there's no immediate threat to get us disbanded." Macao sighed before continuing. "Master Natsu, have you thought about what you're going to do with our guild after the Magic Coalition is over? Or is training all we've got to worry about for the next two years until we need more S-Class mages to support Fairy Tail?"

"Just training. That's why I asked you to be my advisor. I'm still going to have to take smaller S-Class quests to support Fairy Tail and someone's going to need to manage the guild hall during that time. But other than that, the next two years seem surprisingly planned out. I wouldn't expect any surprises like the ones we've been dealing with."

The silent nods in approval were all that they needed to continue thumbing through the magazine.

After a few more seconds, Kinana broke the silence and held up her magazine. "Master Natsu? I found information about the general scheduling! It says here that the Magic Coalition begins a week from today at 5:00 in the evening. All participating guilds and mages must arrive at Magnolia South Gate Park before noon to set up. The even lasts until the same time the following evening."

"So it's a two day event?" Natsu added while flipping to the same page as her.

"Yup. The first day ends at 9:00. There's going to be a 'special speaker' discussing the purpose of hosting the event. Right afterwards, there's going to be an exhibition match between the 'special speaker' and a challenger who wants to test the speaker's strength. For the convenience of the participants, hotel rooms have been reserved around Magnolia for people wanting to purchase one." A deathly silence fell upon Kinana finishing.

Macao was the first to break it. "I'm pretty sure we all know who the 'special speaker' is going to be." He paused to gesture at Natsu before continuing. "As for the exhibition match? I'm willing to bet that's a way for Gran Doma to see if Master Natsu kept the promise he made over this past month."

Natsu sighed out of annoyance before speaking. "What else does it say Kinana?"

"The second day will begin at 8:00 in the morning. All participants must report to Magnolia South Gate Park before that time. The first three hours will be dedicated to mages being able to visit different guilds at their booths and kiosks. All mages are free to visit other guilds present, but at the end of the three hours, every independent mage needs to have already found a guild that they would like to accompany for the remainder of the day."

"Good thing I've got Macao as my advisor! That'll mean I'll be able to visit and meet the other Guild Masters and still have someone watching over Fairy Tail's booth. Plus, I find it really cool how the Magic Council is making guilds represent themselves. Independent mages aren't being forced to join guilds or anything, they're just being encouraged to try and have a new experience! Hell, we might even be able to find some really strong mages while we're at it!"

Kinana nodded in agreement before continuing. "The next three hours will involve Guild Masters acting as instructors to these independent mages. There will be a two hour block after that which will be used for exhibition matches between all mages to show what they've learned over the entire event. The final hour before the Magic Coalition finishes will be used as a time to give the Magic Council feedback: i.e was it worth traveling for the Magic coalition even though it only lasted a day?" Kinana finished.

Despite the seriousness and risk involved with the Natsu's promise he had to fulfill at the Magic Coalition, the Fairy Tail Guild members all had suspense and giddiness coursing throughout their bodies.

Macao was the first to respond to all the information. "If luck is on our side, that last hour of feedback will be the voting session that Gran Doma spoke about during your meeting with him. When he words everything the way he did," Macao paused to hold up his entire magazine, "Our situation doesn't seem bad at all! When the other guilds and independent mages realize how effective and interactive our new structure is from all the Magic Coalition events that they're going to participate in, then of course they'll follow in our footsteps once we tell them this relates to the problem Fairy Tail faces!"

Natsu flashed his toothy grin in response. "Thank Earthland for that! We actually have a chance!"

"The question is, why is Gran Doma being so generous all of a sudden? At least that's what it seems like. He's taking a much more direct approach to his situation than I thought. I mean, He didn't have to tell everyone about how this event is going to relate to what you're going to have to say in front of the Magic Coalition. He could have just let you ramble during your presentation on and hope for the best. I'm not complaining though. Anything that helps the Magic Coalition understand our situation is much needed considering where we are right now. But _It's almost as if Gran Doma is trying to support us all of a sudden. No, impossible."_ Macao shook that final thought out of his mind.

Natsu began to flip through the remaining pages in excitement after listening to Macao. When he realized that there was no other major form of information present, he closed his magazine and sighed in relief. "Maybe we can actually focus on having a fun time at the Magic Coalition now!"

His advisor added to his comment. "Hell yeah! From there, we'll be able to focus all our attention on training for next two years so we can get other members appointed as S-Class mages!"

The guild's atmosphere began to lighten up even further. Many of the guild members began to chat about what types of events would be held and what types of mages would show up.

Before the guild got carried away, Romeo darted toward the boxes that were brought into the guild. He grabbed the letter on top of them and shoved it towards Natsu. "Master Natsu! Are we done yet? Because you forgot about this letter? The front says it's for you!"

"OH! I almost forgot about this one. Thanks buddy." Natsu responded before ruffling the young boy's hair. "Let's see who it's from." He stated while opening the envelope.

"It's probably from the Magic Council. Didn't Gran Doma tell you that he would contact Fairy Tail with the specifics of the Magic Coalition once he organized everything?" Macao suggested.

"Only one way to find out." Natsu stated before diverting his attention back to the letter in his hands. He then began to read it out loud to the guild.

"Dear Master Natsu,

By now, the rest of Fiore should be well informed of the Magic Coalition. A week from this letter's arrival, you must arrive in Magnolia South Gate Park before 5:00 in the evening to prepare your guild for the event. Promptly at 5:00, you will present your ideas to the Magic Coalition. All the tasks and activities following the rest of the event will be centered around what you suggested to the Magic Council during our meeting as well as what you will present to the Magic Coalition.

You will have until 9:00 that night to present your suggestions. I severely doubt it will take you four hours to complete your presentation, so to ensure a steady transition afterwards, I am prepared to officially open the event with an exhibition match as a way to personally gauge your magical potential from a third party source. To clarify a question you might have, I will allow your presentation to address how the events in the Magic Coalition will relate to what you're trying to implement in terms of a guild's structure. However, you are prohibited from disclosing our meeting took place.

As we discussed before, if the guilds and independent mages of Fiore are satisfied and support what you've stated relating to the course of the Magic Coalition, you rightfully will remain Guild Master over the Fairy Tail Guild hall.

Aside from these specifications, all other rules and general guidelines stated in this week's Sorcerer Magazine issue apply to the Fairy Tail Guild. I will see you in Magnolia South Gate Park a week from now to finish the preparation for the Magic Coalition.

From, Gran Doma."

A brief silence fell upon the guild hall. Natsu slid the letter into his cloak's pocket which had the Dragon Lacrima before speaking. "So that's that I guess. Nothing else we can really do until next week other than continuing our training."

"Then let's get these boxes up to your office and call it a day!" Wakaba suggested.

Macao deadpanned at his friend's suggestion. "Wakaba, it's 2:00 in the afternoon."

"After today's training session, I'm going to need all the time I can get recovering until tomorrow."

"He's right." Natsu stated while lifting the boxes up with Macao and Wakaba. "Training isn't going to be getting any easier. If no one needs a quest approved by Kinana, you can all go home while the three of us finish up here." He suggested while pocketing the letter before moving his boxes up the staircase.

"Laki and Warren? You already know what I'm going to ask you." Macao sighed out of embarrassment.

"No problem Macao. We'll take Romeo home again." They offered while following the rest of the guild members to the entrance.

As the group opened the double doors to take their leave, they turned around to call out to the trio about to enter Master Natsu's office. " **WE'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW!"** Everyone called out in unison.

Macao and Wakaba were able to grin in response. Natsu simply spoke loud enough for the departing group to barely here him. "Goodnight my Nakama." He smiled before entering the office with the other two.

* * *

"I see you've already gotten rid of the old desk." Macao commented on the torn apart frame next to the trash can.

"Yup. If we can just put the new desk where the old one was, that would be great. It's already assembled, so we're pretty much done." Natsu responded while they shifted its location. "Thanks for your help you guys. You're welcome to go home now. I'll lock up like usual. See you two in the morning." He offered before beginning to tear apart the box that his new desk was inside.

"Phew! I'll see you tomorrow Master Natsu." Wakaba waved before exiting the office.

Now that Wakaba left, Natsu tossed the box towards the trash can and began tending to the bubble wrapping that encased the desk. He was so mesmerized by this task that he failed to notice Macao still standing off to the side. He checked all the drawers to make sure no other wrapping was left in them before pulling out the old desk's chair, tossing the bubble wrap towards the door, and reclining back in the chair. He didn't bother opening his office supplies or the extra shipment of his outfit. Instead, he closed his eyes momentarily to let out a sigh in relaxation. When he reopened them, he found himself staring straight at Macao next to the door. "Macao? I thought you left with Wakaba. Is something wrong?" He asked while sitting up.

Macao blushed out of awkwardness and embarrassment before speaking. "Oh… Err… No, not at all! I just wanted to know if you found anything else in Master Makarov's old desk."

Natsu hesitated for a split second to decide on a response. "Not that I could see. You can check for yourself if you want to. From what I saw, there was nothing else inside the frame other than the Magic Power Finder." Natsu lied. He didn't want to concern his Nakama over the Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima, diary entry, and note the Master Makarov wrote. Not only did it seem confidential, but his Nakama simply didn't have the time to concern themselves with it. Not even Natsu had time to investigate more into it.

Seconds of silence fell between the two before Natsu reclined back into his chair. Macao then hesitantly responded. "Alright then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow for training. Good night Master Natsu." His advisor stated. Just as he opened the office's door to exit, Macao turned back around to stare into Natsu's black eyes. "Master Natsu?"

"Macao?"

"What's going to happen after these next two years are over? Once we get more S-Class mages, what do we do from there?"

"We keep training of course. We're the number one guild in Fiore for a reason. Even after we're able to support ourselves, I want that to make sure our title remains untouchable. By all means, I've said it before earlier in the week, but feel free to leave on jobs overnight if money is an issue for you and Romeo."

"Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I mean, Bisca and Alzack left yesterday for a quest after our training session and returned before night to confirm with me that they successfully completed it. Hell, I even took my first S-Class quest the day I appointed you as my advisor. It was nothing big, just taking care of a hard to track down group of thugs. I chose this one in specific because my enhanced senses allowed me to complete it in a matter of hours, so I didn't have to miss training the next day. The only thing I'm asking for is you to be dedicating time to train. If you have to miss training sessions, make them up or do it on your quests."

"Of- Of course! We're all taking this seriously. It's just that we-"

"I know. We all want to help the guild by training for the future, but that's not going to mean anything if we can't provide for ourselves also. That's part of the reason you're my advisor. Because right now, and no offense, I'm the only one suited for taking S-Class quests. Sure, that'll definitely change in two of years once I've decided who has the magical strength to do so; that's another reason why we're training. But until I've decided who is ready, I'm going to need you to watch over the guild as my advisor."

"Why is that?"

"After the Magic Coalition, we should have some new members apart of Fairy Tail. I can train with them on most days and get them started while giving everyone the attention needed, but it won't be on all seven days of the week. I'm going to need to step up my game and start taking more S-Class quests to keep our guild's reputation relevant. Our title is the only thing that continues to bring in revenue and quests for our Job Board. Don't worry about any short notices when I start taking more quests though. I'll notify you well in advance so we can work out what days you need to accept jobs to put food on the table for you and Romeo."

"Wow… Thanks Master Natsu." Macao bowed in appreciation.

Natsu sat upright at his desk and leaned towards Macao standing at the doorway. "Macao, I'm not trying to ruin your life. You of all people know that the rest of our Nakama are all in the same boat right now when it comes to supporting Fairy Tail. After the two years, maybe another adventure awaits us. But right now, this is the only source of action that I feel like I can handle. Could there be other ways to support Fairy Tail? Who knows, but Erza used to say that I'm completely idiotic when it comes to anything other than training or eating. So, I think I'll just stick to what doesn't get us disbanded." Natsu joked while smiling at his advisor.

Macao chuckled before opening the door for him to leave. "I don't think that's the case."

"What makes you say that?"

"Consider EVERTYHING that's happened so far since you landed in the infirmary."

Natsu paused to reflect before responding. "What of it?"

"Well, if that were the case and Erza was right, you wouldn't be our Guild Master… Goodnight Master Natsu." Macao finished before closing the office door behind him.

The guild was now deserted aside from the lone Guild Master residing in his office. Macao's words left the Dragon Slayer deep in thought as he pulled out the lifeless Lacrima from his cloak's pocket. He gazed directly into its cold center before speaking to himself. "Maybe I do have an adventure planned two years from now." He then placed it inside his desk's top drawer before grabbing a piece of parchment that came in the mail to jot down the topics he wanted to discuss with the Guild Masters and mages at the Magic Coalition.

* * *

Scene Change - One Week Ago

A lone, elderly man was currently sitting perched atop a large podium in a dimly lit room. To his knowledge, he was currently the only one still present inside the massive building he was stationed in. All the lights were turned off in the room and the only source of brightness came from two candles on either side of his chair. The man was furiously signing legal documents before he heard a rustling towards the entrance of the room.

The man lifted his head to divert his attention from his work. He stared blankly at the pair of large double doors that were open only to be met silence. He then lowered his head back down and continued to sign the legal documents at his desk. He assumed it was his imagination.

Again, another rustling sound came from the doorway. However, it was much more prevalent than last time. Instead of returning to his work, the man stood up from his podium. "Who goes there?" He warned while straightening his frail back. A couple seconds passed before he heard the rustling again. This time, he did not hesitate in reaching for his magical staff next to his chair. He aimed it towards the door and spoke aloud. "You coward! Show yourself! Fight me like a true wizard."

Slowly, a dark silhouette emerged from the entrance and into the light of the candles. Each step towards the elderly man revealed more and more of the person's identity as the candles flickered in the background. The elderly man was able to muster a single word to the person now standing in front of him. "Org?" The man waited for a response only to be met with silence. "What on Earthland are you doing here this late? I nearly attacked you for mistaking an intruder!"

Instead of Org answering the man's question, he immediately changed the topic. He waited for the elderly man to step down from the podium before speaking. "Gran Doma… I assume you've finally satisfied with how things turned out? You really did it, didn't you?" Org scoffed in disgust.

"Excuse me?" Grand Doma stated in defense at the sarcasm he was presented with.

"You played Master Natsu like a deck of cards. You're a disgrace to the land of Fiore. You knew that he would take matters into his own hands and come running first thing to the Magic Council Fiore Branch because of his reckless nature. You knew all along that half the stuff he mentioned during our meeting was downright farfetched; Fiore's guild system hasn't changed in over 400 years, so why would anyone want to start now?"

"I gave him an option and he took it. What more do you want?" Gran Doma lied.

"A month from now, what's going to happen when he gets up in front of this 'Magic Coalition' of yours and presents all his ideas he told us to them? You set the problem up just right and gave him options that only lead to the solution that YOU desired. Let's say for some impossible reason that the Magic Coalition like's Natsu's ideas; let's say he somehow lives up to his word for strengthening both the Magic Council, Fiore's guild system, all the while keeping his promise to his guildmates. He still has to be on his best behavior from now on otherwise you can disband Fairy Tail for falling into bankruptcy. You get to use the Magic Coalition as an excuse for his actions as a way to overlook them. He's doing the problems and you're getting the solutions! Like- Like a child cheating on a test!"

Gran Doma scoffed out loud. "You figured that out all by yourself? My word Org, there's a reason the King of Fiore appointed you as 2nd chair. I think I'm finally beginning to see that reason. But do you know why you're ONLY 2nd chair? You failed to stop the person above you from doing what had to be done." He changed to a triumphant smirk.

Org completely ignored this sarcastic complement before continuing. "Why didn't you give him a chance? His argument's roots were based off him losing his closest friends passing away. Why would he do anything to hurt Fairy Tail that tarnishes that fact? Even if it was a moment of vulnerability, you could have at least changed your perspective for a second just to imagine what it must be like for him."

"We're here to maintain order. If that means Fairy Tail rots in the process, I am willing to take those chances."

Org snapped upon hearing this. He had enough. In a split second, he grappled Gran Doma by his cloak's collar and pinned him against his podium. "Listen to me closely. You might be the almighty Gran Doma- Chairman to the Magic Council. However, we'll see how long that lasts when turmoil and instability kill your legacy. When I notify the rest of Fiore through **Thought Projection** and Sorcerer Magazine of our meeting and conversation right now where you admitted to setting Master Natsu up, we'll see how long you keep your position."

Gran Doma scoffed let take his coworker's threat seriously. He shoved Org back before speaking. "Go ahead. I won't hesitate to try you for treason. You'll be executed on the spot for disclosing discreet information that belongs to the Magic Council."

Org looked him dead in the eye before continuing. "If it means Fairy Tail lives on, I'll take those chances. Let me be clear. You get to disband Fairy Tail as you promised if Master Natsu fails to convince the Magic Coalition of his ideas, but will that mean anything if you're no longer Chairman?"

Gran Doma simply growled at this. He noticed Org's composure was completely confident yet serious. For the first time in his career, he was placed into a corner that he couldn't afford to stay in. "Urrgghhh... FINE, what do you want?"

"Master Natsu is not to know about our conversation. This is simply to ensure that you won't go back on your word in the future and harm Fairy Tail by taking advantage of them only for me to blackmail you. If Master Natsu somehow gets ahold of this conversation, you know by now what I'm prepared to do. All you have to do is sit on your rear end and watch what happens: like you intended to do in the first place. If you want to spare your title as Chairman, the only thing I suggest will be finding a way to relate every single damn word he said to how the Magic Coalition will represent what was discussed in our meeting."

"How do you want me to do that?"

"Whatever way you chose to accomplish that impossible feat is your problem, not mine. I suggest you get started immediately. You have a week before you promised to notify Sorcerer Magazine of the event. If I see you stepping outside the boundaries in the slightest, I won't hesitate to take you down with me." Org finished. He reluctantly released his grip from Gran Doma before stepping away from him. Without another word, he turned his back to the Chairman and left through the large double doors.

Although Gran Doma's facial expressions remained stoic because he was too shocked to react, his interior was beginning to lose its composure. _"He's serious about this. Master Natsu needs to stay Guild Master or else- or else I lose my title as Chairman."_ He then began to reluctantly travel back up to his podium to take his seat.

He pulled out a piece of paper from below the podium and began jotting down details and events for the Magic Coalition: information that would not only show the participants of the Magic Coalition that Master Natsu's plan of action was engaging and interesting, but could also benefit Fiore for the better. After all, both their titles depended on this.

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note (mentions next arc):** I told you guys that Natsu finding that Magic Power Finder wasn't going to be a coincidence! Up until recently, I completely forgot that Natsu had no way of learning his **Lightning Flame Dragon Mode** since he wasn't on Tenrou Island. What better way for him to learn it other than an arc PARTIALLY dedicated to that feat? If everything goes according to plan, this next arc might start somewhere in the next three chapters after the timeskip!


	10. Chapter 10 - Magic Coalition: Part One

**Author's Note (SEQUEL?!):** After more then two weeks, here's Chapter 10! I was able to squeeze in an extra 1K words as a thank you for your patience.

Anyways, the first big timeskip is almost here upon us. You should expect it to be included in chapter 13. Depending on how I chose to create Chapter 11, the timeskip might even come around Chapter 12 depending on how I chose to write (although I wouldn't bet on it).

Personally, I absolutely LOVE how this update looks. I think this chapter makes a great introduction for what's to come throughout the upcoming years after the timeskip. There's some REALLY good surprises in here and I already have the next arc fleshed out. This update is looking VERY promising!

Once again, thank you so much for all your kind reviews and support. In fact, I already had one review ask if I plan on making a sequel! This is where I ask for your feedback...

The name of this Fanfiction should obviously state what it's about. However, if I were to make a sequel, would you want the it to start off with the return of the Tenrou Group? Or would you rather THIS FANFICTION include the return of the Tenrou Group and make a sequel dedicated to another plot?

Let me clarify some things. This decision is one that should not be taken lightly whatsoever. If I were to make a sequel (something that isn't nearly ready to happen) and the Tenrou Group were to return in it, then said sequel is going to revolve around the group's return similar to how During Those 7 Years revolves around the Nakama that Master Natsu is left with.

What I'm trying to say is that the anime, as well as every 7 year timeskip Fanfiction I've read, portrayed the return of the Tenrou Group as something that was happy, joyous, and emotional. However, it really didn't play a major role other than Fairy Tail needing to participate in the Grand Magic Games to retake their title as Fiore's number one guild. Here's the question... What if the return of the Tenrou Group was something that Master Natsu WAS NOT looking forward to? What would happen when MAJOR problems arise with Fairy Tail's former top mages needing to fit into a brand new guild system that Master Natsu had to implement just to support his guild hall (what During Those 7 Years is about)?

The reason why this is important is because if this was made into an entirely new story... Well... It would need to be an entirely new story revolving around the plot I described. However, if this were to just be included in During Those 7 Years, this plot described above would not occur and I could just do the stereotypical "The Tenrou Group is back! We missed you!" From there, I could dedicate the sequel to something else. This is why this is such a big decision.

I really hope this made sense. Let me finish by saying that a sequel is NOWHERE NEAR to happening even if I get a ton of support for one. I plan on getting towards the 300k word mark before a sequel would even be officially considered. By that time, sadly, this story will have come to an end.

This is all still subjected to change, like always. That being said, definitely let me know what you guys are thinking with this possible sequel plot. It's never to soon to start planning for the future.

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 10: Magic Coalition: Part One**

"What about you? When are you going to record how much power you've gained over the month?"

"I'll do it later. Don't you worry about me! I promised that all I wanted out of you was the first three hours of your day. I'm not going to break that promise."

"Aww… But I wanted to see you use that same attack again against the Magic Power Finder again! It's gotta be a lot stronger now that we've had a full month to train."

"I'm sorry buddy. Even if we had the time, it probably wouldn't be the smartest thing. Even though Winter is just beginning to end, it's nearly 80 degrees today for some reason. I really don't want to suffer from fatigue and strain my body the day before the Magic Coalition."

"Are you sure you-"

"Romeo, that's enough. Listen to Master Natsu. I'm sure you'll get to see him use some cool spells tomorrow during his exhibition match. There'll be plenty of time to see new magic and to even meet new guild members if we're lucky."

"Your Old Man is right! Don't worry though, even if Gran Doma wants to gauge my power himself, I'm still going to record my strength like the rest of you. I just don't want to do it right now while it's so hot outside."

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Macao questioned

"We're not going to open the guild until the Magic Coalition is over. We'll meet up at the entrance of Magnolia South Gate Park at 4:00 in the afternoon so we have time to survey everything including the booths and kiosks all the guilds will be stationed at. After the Magic Coalition is over, we'll just open up the guild like usual and get back into our normal training."

"Sounds like a plan! What about Bisca and Alzack. They're on a job after all. You sure they're going to make it back in time?"

"They know to be back before tomorrow afternoon. I'll notify them about us not opening the guild over Lacrima as a reminder."

"If that's the case, I'm heading back in to take a shower. You coming with the rest of the guys Master Natsu?"

"Sure thing. I'm caught up with my work. I planned to record my strength later in the night when it's much cooler. So until then, how about we spend the rest of the day partying like we used to… Let's not get carried away though. We're still broke as hell." Natsu rubbed his head sheepishly.

A resounding cheer in approval resonated off the guild hall towering behind the group. Not wanting to waste anymore of their day, everyone scurried back into the guild hall to shower so they could party like the old days.

* * *

The bright moon was setting over Lake Scilliora in the distance. A lone figure exited the rear entrance of the Fairy Tail Guild hall while locking the door. The silhouette walked up to a device hovering over a seemingly endless pit next to the lake. The person then diverted their attention to the lake in front and inhaled the nighttime atmosphere before whispering aloud. "I'm all fired up now." The man declared which revealed his identity.

He then took a couple steps backwards away from the Magic Power Finder in front of him. He slowly began to gain his composure before surveying the area around him. _"Perfect. No one else is here. It's time… Everyone has improved so much over the short little time. I can't let them down."_ Every word he thought was true. He was willing to bet that most of the mages of Fairy Tail could give even Erza and Laxus a run for their money in a one on one duel.

Natsu then took a battle stance before inhaling deeply. He closed his eyes before exhaling the spell he had in his mind. "Flame Lotus…" Natsu exhaled while fire began to warp around his fists before encasing them with fire. This time, however, he even had enough magical potential to encase his feet in the orbs along with his hands. A deathly silence fell upon his surroundings. He could hear everything: from the ripples of water hugging the shoreline, to the wind caressing the guild hall behind him with the sounds of crickets in the distance. Then, without warning, he charged the Magic Power Finder in front of him without remorse and at a speed that would be impossible for even the most powerful of mages. " ** _FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!"_** He boomed throughout the night sky.

Without losing any of his momentum, the Dragon Slayer kept his right foot planted behind him in a fighting stance. His left foot providing him with leverage to attack once he was in close combat distance of his target. He used his momentum to propel his fists encased in spheres of fire towards the Magic Power Finder. Every couple of jabs was coupled with the occasional tornado roundhouse kick that would deliver an ear shattering shockwave. Each punch and tornado roundhouse kick he delivered was so fast that even with his enhanced eyesight, he was unable to visibly observe his onslaught while he continued generating a perfect explosion that warped around the Magic Power Finder. Each explosion continued into the lake for an endless distance and were nearly double the size when he did the attack almost three weeks ago.

When the attack ended, Natsu was left panting heavily. The pink haired Dragon Slayer staggered backwards towards the guild hall while awaiting for the Magic Power Finder to reveal how much he improved. Natsu felt if he had enough motivation, he could pull of the attack again, although it would have been slightly weaker from fatigue he was experiencing. He then raised his head to look up at the number hovering above the floating device. As he read the number aloud, he had a small, yet satisfied smile plastered across his face. "9000." As he turned on his heel to walk back to the guild hall's rear entrance, Natsu was able to smirk to himself in accomplishment. However, Natsu Dragneel wasn't smiling because of his increase in power… He was smiling because of an even bigger accomplishment; he could still stand.

* * *

Scene Change – Magnolia South Gate Park, The Next Day

Now that all the construction was completed, all the booths and kiosks built complemented Magnolia South Gate Park's scenery. The attractions lined the outskirts of the park which left the interior usable as a battleground for the different guilds and independent mages. Directly across from the entrance of the park was a large, wooden stage with a podium placed in the middle. The warm pulse of the setting sun was setting behind it. An elderly man, Gran Doma, was currently testing to see if the podium's mic was functioning correctly.

Even though the Magic Coalition wasn't supposed to start for another hour, most of the participants were already there waiting for the event to officially begin. Scattered around the interior of the park were hundreds of independent mages ranging from mere adolescents to a few who were middle aged. All the major guilds of Fiore that could afford to travel for the event were preparing their booths for the independent mages that would visit on the second day of the event. The more notorious guilds were even getting attention from all the younger independent mages who hoped that the Magic Coalition would give them the opportunity find a suitable guild to join.

"There sure are a ton of guilds here. This is going to be a tougher decision than I thought it would be. You guys know which one you plan on joining?" A boy groaned towards his circle of friends. He was currently surveying the guilds around him who were hastily finalizing the touches to their booths.

A beautiful girl with brown hair in front of him answered in response. "What kid of question is that? You know what, I'm not even going to bother answering it. I've told you guys a million times before. All I'm going to say is that they're supposed to have really strong mages. They could teach me all sorts of magic! Not only that, but one of their members has been my role model ever since there were rumors going around Magnolia Town that a person with that mage's type of magic joined the guild. The person I look up to just seems like someone who you could learn a lot from over time. Yah know?"

This time, a different boy next to them responded to the two. "I think I know which guild you might be talking about, but what about Mermaid Heel? I've see what their guild hall looks like from all those magazine pictures. From what people told me, it's almost like an indoor waterpark!"

"An indoor waterpark? I have no doubt in my mind that's true." The girl sarcastically deadpanned. "And I'm sure you'll definitely get in since you're a guy. It's not like Mermaid Heel is an all female guild or anything."

"Who cares? I'm 17. I've been a huge fan of Mermaid Heel ever since I was a little kid. I think they'll make an exception for me."

"Still not a good argument. You're telling me that fanboying over an all female guild won't seem creepy to them? Not to mention all three of us are 17." The girl facepalmed in response while chuckling. "Anyways, the Magic Coalition should be starting any minute now. How about you use the next two days to visit a guild's booth that actually would consider you as a member? Now c'mon! Let's see if we can get close to the stage." The brown haired girl finished while dragging her two friends with her.

"Good idea. I nearly forgot that there's some 'speaker' who's supposed to tell us what we plan on doing while we're here."

Before the rest of the independent mages could continue their chatter, the light atmosphere throughout the park was silenced by an ear piercing cheer.

" **AYE SIR!** " The sound came from one of the booths towards the middle of the park's left side. All the participants heard the cheer resound throughout the park and immediately diverted their attention to where it came from.

Everyone, besides Gran Doma who already knew the only guild that could be this loud, began to murmur as they slowly began to realize the guild that caused the cheer.

"What the hell was that about?" The girl questioned with her two friends beside her. She was still trying to identify where the ruckus came from. All three of them eventually stopped and rested their eyes on a guild's booth filled with people who were giving each other high fives and hugs.

One of the boys in the girl's group scowled and muttered loud enough so only his friends could hear him. "It's just one of those other guilds. Judging from their Guild Marks, it looks like Fairy Tail." He stated before pausing to allow his friends to comprehend the situation. "I don't know what the hell they're doing here. I thought only strong guilds were invited to come to the Magic Coalition."

A few moments of silence fell between the group members before the girl's eyes widened. _"Fairy Tail! It's- It's really them. Maybe if I tell them how big of a fan I am, they'll let me join!"_ She dreamed before responding in shock and happiness. She was too excited to even care about her friend insulting the guild. "Fairy Tail? I- I can't believe they're actually here! They're the number one guild in Fiore! I can't wait to meet all their members. Even if I won't be able to join before too many other people do, at least I'll get a full day to hang out with all of them once the Magic Coalition begins! Their members are super nice and treat you like family. Not only that, but all of their guild members are amazing mages. So just imagine how strong their Guild Master has to be!"

"You can't be serious… Don't tell me the guild you planned on joining was Fairy Tail. Have you been living under a rock? They're old news by now. You're better of joining Lamia Scale." The boy turned to reface the girl in his group.

The boy's comment immediately got the attention of the girl. She couldn't help but feel a pang of betrayal from her friend as she couldn't believe what he was saying. "Old news? Who cares if anyone thinks they're old news? They'll always be the number one guild in Fiore in my eyes! I would definitely join them, but now that everyone knows they're here, there's no chance in hell that's happening. All the other people here plan on doing the same thing." The girl pouted in disappointment.

"What's the matter of you? I didn't think you were seriously living under a rock, but I guess that's the case. You don't have to worry about not being accepted into Fairy Tail, because no person in their right mind is going to join." The boy paused to look around him to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "Didn't you hear what happened to their most powerful guild mages?"

A lone tear then fell from the girl's eyes as she realized where her friend was taking the conversation. She tried to play dumb in hopes that she could find a way to change the topic before she got too emotional. She avoided eye contact with her friends before beginning. "You- You mean like Erza? Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss? What do they have to do with anything?"

Before the brown haired girl was given a chance to change the topic, her friend delivered the inevitable truth. "Apparently, she and all the other top mages of Fairy Tail vanished over a month ago. Don't quote me on this next part, but some rumors are floating around that it had to do with leaving for their annual S-Class exams."

"You're… You're joking?" The girl stuttered trying to act shocked instead of sad.

This time, the other boy in the group responded to his friend's comment. "He's not lying. Go ahead and look at their booth if you don't believe us. I don't see Erza or Mirajane with them. Actually, I don't even think Master Makarov is their Guild Master anymore. I mean, if that Old Man really was still Fairy Tail's Guild Master, he should be here since their entire guild should be participating in the Magic Coalition. Not gonna lie though, I stopped caring about their guild once I heard what happened to their best mages, so I don't know any more than that." He finished by shrugging.

"What- What about Natsu Dragneel?" The girl began to defend Fairy Tail once she remembered that her role model was still alive. This brightened her mood slightly, but she was still offended. "We don't know for sure what happened to Fairy Tail's best mages, but Natsu's supposed to be one of their strongest members even if he's the only notable one left. That's gotta be worth something!"

Before the boy could respond, he was interrupted by his other friend. "Hah! Unlike you guys, I've been following up on Fairy Tail lately. Apparently, their new Guild Master is this Natsu Dragneel you brought up. The thing is, who the hell cares who or what he is? All I'm saying is that he's old news by now. They're just desperate for a new Guild Master at this point."

"How… How could you say that?" The girl retorted without hesitation. Although she was shocked to find out her role model was the Fairy Tail Guild Master, all that mattered right now was that she defended Fairy Tail's name.

The boy snorted in response. "Tell me, let's assume we know that Fairy Tail really was gone on their S-Class exams when their best mages vanished. Why wasn't Natsu with them? I know for a fact that he wasn't an S-Class mage at the time." He paused to wait for his friends to respond to his question. After a few moments, he gave them the answer he was expecting. "Natsu wasn't with the other Fairy Tail members on the S-Class exam because he wasn't powerful enough to go with him. It's that simple." He finished by shrugging towards his two friends in front of him.

Under normal circumstances, the brown haired girl would be crying furiously over her favorite guild being tarnished by her "friends" hostility. However, she was now too shocked to do so. Multiple factors contributed to her shock. At first, only one thought ran through her mind. _"Since when was Natsu their Guild Master?"_ Then, another situation dawned upon her.

Instead of the brown haired girl questioning this to her group aloud, a deathly silence fell upon everyone around the boy who overheard his insults. "What? What happened?" The cocky boy questioned out of utter confusion. He noted that all the independent mages around him had wide eyes and were murmuring too each other.

Everyone around the group was staring towards a man towering directly behind the boy. Instead of continuing to stare in confusion at his two friends, the boy turned around to see what everyone around him was murmuring about. What he wasn't expecting was to be met with a man wearing a red cloak smiling down at him.

Only two words crossed the boy's mind, but he was too frightened to utter them. _"Natsu Dragneel!"_ He yelled within his mind. All he had the capability of doing was stare into the Guild Master's black eyes. After a few seconds of silence, he gained the courage to stupidly respond to his presence out loud. "Nuh- Natsu Dragneel! What are you doing here? You should be with your guild getting ready for the Magic Coalition. I mean… Why-"

Natsu simply smiled for a few more seconds before responding with a startlingly calm and positive tone. "You're right, I should be with the rest of my guildmates. The thing is, there's only five more minutes until the Magic Coalition officially begins with a 'special speaker.' So, we're all going to the same place." Natsu paused to let his words sink into the boy before retelling the mages around him the events that led to the situation the boy was now in.

* * *

Scene Change – A Few Minutes Ago

"Alright guys! Great job setting up our booth. There's no doubt people will know who we are now thanks to all the decorations. Since this event is a big deal for us as a guild, expect there to be a lot of independent mages who are interested in joining Fairy Tail! I want you guys to represent what it means to be the number one guild in Fiore! No holding back now, it's time to show everyone how much you've improved."

" **AYE SIR!** " His Nakama cheered in unison. They followed up by high-fiving each other and momentarily celebrating the opportunity of attending the Magic Coalition; all of them were completely oblivious to the attention they attracted from their outburst.

Before they could get too carried away, Macao began to speak. "Master Natsu? It's nearly 5:00. You should get heading to the stage to let Gran Doma know you're ready to begin. The rest of us will be waiting off to the side for you to call us up." He added.

"Yup. Just like I planned." Natsu patted his advisor on the back before directing his attention to Romeo and Kinana. "Hey guys? Instead of you two having to wait out in the crowd, I would feel more comfortable if you just waited here in the booth where you wouldn't get lost. You're welcome to climb on top of it so you can see me during my exhibition match. You're bound to get a better view from up there so no one blocks you from seeing me win." He offered with a confident smile plastered on his face.

Both of them responded without hesitation " **Yes!** We're going to head up there right now!" The duo stated before scurrying around the booth to the ladder leading up to the room.

"Just be careful!" Macao called out to them before sighing.

"Alright Old Man. I guess this is it." Natsu nervously chuckled while reluctantly exiting the booth. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

Natsu's nervousness went unnoticed by his Nakama. Before he could begin weaving his way through the sea of mages littered throughout the battleground, Macao called out to him. "Master Natsu?"

The pink haired mage turned around to respond to his advisor only to left in astonishment. All of his guild members, even Romeo and Kinana on top of the booth, had their right hand raised above their heads with their thumb and index finger exposed. Macao was the only one to break the silence. "Give them hell Master Natsu. That's what it means to be a member of Fairy Tail!"

Natsu only nodded with his toothy grin plastered across his face before turning back around and bolting towards the stage as confidence ushered over him. _"This is going to work. No… This has to work… For my Nakama!"_

* * *

Scene Change – Present Day Time

After Natsu recalled the events that lead up to this moment, the arrogant boy grimaced because he didn't want to look like a fool in front of the independent mages standing around his group. He then retorted towards the Guild Master. "So you were eavesdropping on us?" He digressed from the topic at hand in order to insult the pink haired mage.

Natsu simply sighed before responding. "It's not the first time someone was dumb enough to think that I couldn't hear them when I actually could. As for you insulting me, you can talk bad about me behind your back as much as you want," Natsu paused before staking a step towards the boy. He was now mere inches away from his face, "But you will NEVER insult my Nakama in front of me ever again." He bitterly snapped with anger. "I would also appreciate it if you put at least a bit of effort into respecting my guild. Every single one of my guild mates have been preparing endlessly just to fill the roles of our strongest mages. You'll find out why I'm needed at the stage in no time flat, so I suggest you get moving." Natsu finished before returning to a stoic expression.

Although the group and independent mages were too terrified and shocked to sense it, Natsu was holding back every urge to completely lash out at boy who was bad mouthing his guild. Instead of retaliating further and risk causing unwanted tension, he simply pushed the boy out of his way and walked straight through the group standing in front of him in order to make his way to the stage.

The brown haired girl who defended her role model witnessed the entire situation unfold. She was still too shocked to physically react. _"That was really him!_ _I can't believe it._ _I didn't just meet Natsu Dragneel, I met Fairy Tail's Guild Master!"_ Before she lost the pink haired mage in the sea of independent mages, the beautiful girl bolted away from her group in order to catch up to her lifelong role model. "Excuse me! Master Natsu!" The girl called out while shoving her way through the crowds. She pushed through the final waves of people before staggering in front of the stage where the pink haired Guild Master was now facing her.

Natsu simply smiled for a few moments to examine her physique. The girl panting in front of him was remarkably beautiful. She had a fully matured body that rivaled Mirajane's, even though Natsu was too dense to even assume that. She had brown hair that went just past her shoulders above her bust. The girl was slightly shorter than Natsu yet kept eye contact with her almost silver like eyes. She was wearing expensive white sandals and a modest white lace dress that had straps over her shoulders and was slightly flared past her knees.

Natsu was the first to break the silence after examining her. "Sorry if I made you think that I was ignoring you, I just wanted to get out the crowds so I could talk to you more privately." Natsu smiled before gesturing for the girl to follow him to the side of the stage.

Once they arrived, she began to respond to him. "Master Natsu! Err… I thought that you were angry at me for insulting you behind your back." She finished by blushing in embarrassment.

Natsu raised his eyebrow before chuckling. "Insult me? From what I heard you telling that guy, it sounded like you were trying to defend my Nakama from all those insults he was throwing."

The girl simply lowered her head and muttered. "They're not my friends, both of them are complete assholes. My mom works with their parents and she thought it would be good if we came here together to hang out."

"I'm sorry about that. At least you had the courage to end your relationship with them, I know what that feels like firsthand." He smiled sadly as he referenced the Tenrou Group. Natsu's eyes then widened before he hastily interrupted the girl before she could mention what her mother did for a living. "You know what? I can't believe I forgot, but I didn't even bother asking your name."

Without hesitation, the brown haired girl beamed a wide smile before responding. "Don't worry about it. It's my fault for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Sayuki. Sayuki Sato. And if you weren't able to pick up on it from before, I'm like your biggest fan!"

"Sayuki…. Eh?" Natsu paused briefly before holding out his hand. Sayuki firmly grasped it before the Guild Master continued. "What a nice name for such a kind person. So, what magic do you use?" He asked while releasing his grip.

"I use **Fire-Make** magic." Sayuki said as she clasped her hands in front of her. When she opened them back up, a Firebird just like the one on Natsu's cloak fluttered in her palm before dissipating into the air.

Natsu leaned in to admire the creation before it disappeared. "That was really pretty! You would love meeting my advisor then. His name is Macao, and he can also manipulate fire using his magic."

"Still, my magic is nowhere as cool as you are. You're a Dragon Slayer for crying out loud!" Sayuki shuffled her feet while modestly poking her index fingers. She severely doubted that she even deserved to stand in the same room as Natsu Dragneel.

"Aww, don't be like that! I 'm being completely serious. There's tons of stuff you can do with your magic that I can't! In order for me to have even half the control a normal fire mage has with their magic, I've gotta concentrate a lot harder. I can control how my flames spread and do damage to their enemy, but that requires a ton of work. That's just one of the benefits you have over me!"

Sayuki simply smiled while she thought of what her role model just said. _"I can't believe how much he knows about magic! I wonder if he remembers who I am…"_ Sayuki then grew anxious because she felt doubtful that the Guild Master in front of her even cared to remember such a small detail from a couple weeks ago. She still decided to take her chances.

"Umm… Master Natsu?"

"Hmm? What's up?"

Sayuki took a deep breath in before speaking. "You probably don't remember me, but do you remember my mom by any chance?"

"Do I know your mom?" Natsu whispered and stared into her eyes before smiling in realization of who the girl was. Before Sayuki was able to give him a hint, Natsu responded by leaning in towards her face just to confirm that his realization was true and that he wasn't mistaking the girl for someone else. He leaned back out after a couple of seconds to respond. "You're Jasmine's daughter, right?"

Sayuki's eyes bulged open before she responded. "How… How'd you know?"

"Your face resembles her overall. There's no one feature that stands out particularly, but if I had to put a finger on it… It's because you're so polite just like her. But maybe you're so polite because you're shy." Natsu chuckled which caused her to blush. "If I'm being completely honest, the way Jasmine described you had me thinking all along that you were a little girl. That's the reason why I didn't know who you were when we first met. How old are you anyways?"

"Ugh, that's my mom for you. Always making me seem like I'm her baby." She groaned. "But I'm 17."

"Raelly? But didn't your mom say you couldn't join until you're older?"

"That's right. She's just overly protective." She sighed in annoyance. "She didn't want me joining any guilds until I was 18, but I was able to persuade her once she realized how kind you were at the department store she works at!" She finished with a wink.

"That's great! Anyways, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened back there when you were having that conversation with your friends? Your mom told me that you were really sad and wouldn't leave your room because some of Fairy Tail's guild members vanished recently. Since you already know what happened to Erza and the rest of my friends, why did you act like you didn't know what they were talking about?" Natsu grimaced as he was reminded of the suffering caused by his friends vanishing off the face of Earthland.

Before he was able to find a way to lift his own spirits, Sayuki's head began to lower causing a shadow to be cast over her dress. "Master Natsu… There's a reason I acted like I didn't know what those guys was talking about. I was only pretending to act confused about the Fairy Tail members who vanished because I thought that I could find a way to drop the subject before they reminded me what happened." She then began to weep in front of the pink haired mage. "The- The truth is, everything my mom said was true. When I heard those guys in my group insulting Fairy Tail after all you guys have been through, all I wanted to do was defend you guys."

Natsu then approached Sayuki which caused the girl to raise her head. He noticed that tears were welling up in her eyes and were about to fall. Before they got the opportunity to roll down her cheeks, he put a comforting hand on her shoulder before speaking. "There's no reason you have to cry. One of the reasons I was angry at that guy in your group for insulting Fairy Tail was because he said that I wasn't powerful enough to go on the S-Class exams with my guild mates. The reason I wasn't able to go on the S-Class exams was because I fractured my leg in a guild brawl with one of my best friends. Even with my enhanced self healing from my Dragon Slayer magic, I had no idea this would be the reason for me never seeing my guild mates again."

Natsu paused to notice Sayuki's facial expression. She wiped her eyes before speaking. "I can tell this is going to get better. At least I hope."

The Guild Master smiled while nodding in response before continuing. "I was so hellbent on going on the exams that I nearly stormed out of the infirmary I was being treated in just to prove I was feeling better. Our old Guild Master, Master Makarov, even said that I needed to 'grow up' and stop being so short minded and immature about my injury that could have been prevented if it weren't for me starting the brawl. That's not how I saw the situation."

Natsu eyed Sayuki to see is she was following him. "I get what you're saying."

"At first, all I was able to see was my best friend talking behind my back at the bar, which is why I even started the guild brawl in the first place. Long story short, Master Makarov asked Erza to spend the night with me in the infirmary just in case I didn't do anything stupid. She was the one to tell me to embrace the paths we are led down no matter how bad they might seem. There's always a way to change your perspective of a situation. She made me realize that maybe my best friends are gone for a reason. I mean, I hate to say it, but who knows what Fairy Tail would look like right now without me being its Guild Master. We had to restructure our entire guild just to avoid going into bankruptcy and losing our guild hall!"

Sayuki chuckled slightly and began to beam once she heard this. If Natsu was able to overcome losing his guild, then she knew that she would be able to also in time. "So what's your way of viewing your friends disappearing? Does it have to do with restructuring your guild and you becoming Guild Master?"

Natsu sighed before continuing. "Yup. I became Guild Master not even a month ago, but so much happened in that little time that I don't even know where to begin! It's a really long story."

Before Natsu could continue, he was cut off by footsteps that approached him from the stage. An elderly man knelt down from the side and whispered over Natsu's shoulder. "Master Natsu? It's time for you to present what we discussed. Are you ready?" Gran Doma stoically asked.

Natsu nodded in response before redirecting his attention back to Sauki. "It's been great meeting you Sayuki, but as you can probably tell by now, I'm the 'special speaker' that has to go up on stage!"

"No way! That's so cool." She smiled in response. "Thank you so much for talking to me. it's been great meeting you Master Natsu." Sayuki bowed in respect.

"I've gotta get going now. But be sure to choose Fairy Tail as your guild to accompany throughout the Magic Coalition tomorrow. That way, we can make sure that you're a Fairy Tail member for real." He shot her a confident smirk.

"Wait… It's that easy?" Sayuki replied dumbfounded.

"Of course it is." Natsu smiled before walking up on stage leaving the girl to her thoughts and giddiness.

He followed Gran Doma up to the podium where the elderly man cleared his throat into the mic. Immediately, everyone present on the battleground began to succumb to a wave of silence and direct their attention to the stage.

After the last bit of chatter died down, Gran Doma smiled cheerfully to the crowds before beginning to speak. "I personally welcome all the participants standing before me to the Magic Coalition! Whether you are an independent mage or already apart of a guild, I hope you find a way to use the next two days as an opportunity to interact with fellow mages. As many of you already know, my name is Gran Doma and I am the chairman to the Magic Council. Although the Magic Council provides you with this event, the 'guest speaker' that is scheduled was the person to recommend the Magic Coalition to me. So without further ado, I present to you the Magic Coalition's guest speaker: the Fairy Tail Guild Master, Natsu Dragneel!"

Sayuki and the members of Fairy Tail off to the side were the first to begin applauding. Everyone else on the battleground followed as they were hoping the Guild Master would clarify the purpose of the event.

Natsu continued to exchange places with Gran Doma while the elderly man walked off the stage and to the opposite side of where the majority of Fairy Tail was standing. As Natsu walked up to the podium, he cleared his throat in preparation for his moment of truth. _"This is it. Fairy Tail- no, my Nakama- are depending on me. I made a promise to them, and there's no way in hell I'm not keeping it."_ He thought to himself.

The Guild Master inhaled deeply before speaking to the crowd standing before him. "Over a month ago, Fiore lost some of the greatest mages that belonged to my guild hall. I'm sure you're all familiar with what happened, but these mages were participating in Fairy Tail's annual S-Class exam when they vanished off the face of Earthland. This includes mages most of you have heard of: Master Makarov Dreyar, Mirajane Strauss, Erza Scarlet, and Gildarts Clive. Even though there are 14 others, the details don't really matter right now aside from the state our guild is now left in which is the reason for me suggesting this event."

Natsu paused to see if all the mages were understanding him. Fairy Tail had their heads hanged in respect. Others mages silently nodded in approval while a few were even murmuring about the guest speaker.

"I guess that's Master Natsu! He's the guy who became Guild Master after Master Makarov vanished on the S-Class exams." A boy in the crowd whispered to a man standing by him.

"Yeah, I can't believe he counted all 18 members who he lost. They must really mean a lot to him." The man replied.

Natsu's enhanced hearing picked up on the light conversations which signaled him to continue. "When I found out my Nakama disappeared, I thought things couldn't get any worse for Fairy Tail. I mean, we lost our best friends on our S-Class exam. And just when I thought my guild hit rock bottom emotionally, we realized something even worse. The thing is, most of you don't view my guild mates that vanished as close to you than they were to me. Instead, I'm betting that you all viewed them as some of the most powerful mages you have ever heard of. That's where the problem arises where I felt we needed this event."

Natsu paused again to observe the audience's reaction. Everyone was intrigued the direction this was heading, which provided him the chance to continue. "Right now, my guild is placed in a situation where we're barely able to provide ourselves with enough revenue to keep our title as a guild. Why you might ask? The mages on the S-Class exam gave Fairy Tail most, if not all the income that kept our title and guild hall because of the magical potential that they possessed with the difficult jobs that they took. Even though I was able to come up with a way to keep our guild's title, this solution is something that we should all consider since it will benefit guilds throughout Fiore for the better in the future!"

If the other participants weren't interested in what the Guild Master had to say, they were definitely convinced now after hearing what Natsu said about benefiting other guilds around Fiore. Everyone wanted to know how the Guild Master could relate the problem with his Nakama disappearing to the Magic Coalition.

Natsu then began to continue. "The solution to this problem is to divert our attention to less powerful guild mates which should greatly impact their guild's future! For Fairy Tail, we needed to divert out attention to the power difference between the mages we are now left with compared to that of the group that vanished on the S-Class exams! That way, I could make sure that they would be able to close that power difference and support our guild in the future! We should change our perspectives and interact with one another more on a close level. That's the purpose of the Magic Coalition: giving attention to one another."

Natsu surveyed the mages once more to see that he was generally receiving positive remarks to his surprise. Even the more Notorious guilds such as Blue Pegasus were smiling at the Guild Master and nodding in approval.

" _Could they be feeling the same way my Nakama did?"_ The Guild Master thought to himself before continuing. "I want to make sure you all know that even with the attention I'm giving my Nakama, they wouldn't be suited for S-Class quests and supporting our guild fully for another two years. This is obviously going to take some time to accomplish, and to some of you, this all might sound ridiculous and useless. But would you be thinking the same is all of this were to happen to your guild?"

Natsu looked across the battleground to see even more independent mages nodding and approval including other guild masters concentrating on what he was suggesting. Natsu then began to conclude. "The simplest idea of giving attention to one another can promote change beyond belief! To prove this, I brought my guild mates who I devoted attention towards to show the changes we experienced over this month of intense training as a guild."

Macao then led all the Fairy Tail members, beside Rome and Kinana, onto the stage. They all lined up towards the rear of the platform while Warren walked up to the podium and handed Natsu two Lacrimas he pulled from his pocket. Natsu placed both of them onto the podium before Warren took his place back and line. Natsu then stepped away from the podium to stand at the front of the line.

Once they were all lined up, the Lacrimas resting on the podium began to project recordings into the air behind the group. The projection on the left started a minute before the one on the right. It contained a brief description of how Natsu gauged his guild mates initial magical potential using the Magic Power Finder. The projection on the right played simultaneously a minute in and contained the improvements that the Fairy Tail members had made.

Everyone stood on the front edge of the stage while two Lacrima projections continued simultaneously in the back ground. All the mages, aside from Fairy Tail, were stunned at the improvements these "inferior" mages had made. Suddenly, the right recording cut off just as the left recording began to play Natsu's original magical potential.

Although all the mages present were left agape at the sheer power Natsu possessed, many became skeptical when they realized he didn't include his improvements in the recording on the right.

"That was amazing! Natsu's strong enough to be a Wizard Saint!" A young boy yelled out loud completely ignoring the fact that the second Lacrima didn't include the Guild Master's improvements.

Another girl skeptically answered to the boy standing next to him. "Something seems off. Who cares how strong he is if he didn't even include how much he improved? How can we trust anything he says if he doesn't even follow through with what he promised!"

Even Sayuki, who was standing right in front of the podium, was left confused. _"What was that about? I thought Natsu was going to prove to everyone how much he improved over this entire month."_ She frowned as she was worried about what everyone else was going to think.

Back at Fairy Tail's Booths, Romeo was about to start freaking out. Before he could start yelling towards the stage, Kinana tackled him onto the roof's surface and covered his mouth before speaking. "Master Natsu knows how much this means to all of us. I know he didn't forget about his recording. Watch, everything is going to be fine… Now are you going to start screaming?" Kinana asked cautiously.

Romeo furiously shook his head which was enough for Kinana to reluctantly uncover the young boy's mouth. They slowly began to settle back into their positions before anxiously awaiting what would happen next.

Even the rest of Fairy Tail back on the stage was left utterly confused. Macao began to panic and whispered under his breath from next to Natsu. He knew his Guild Master's enhanced hearing would pick up on what his was going to suggest, so he tried to attract as little attention possible. "Master Natsu… I thought you were going to edit your recording into the one Warren made. You did remember, didn't you?" He barely even whispered.

Natsu simply smiled over his shoulder before reaching into his cloak's pocket before taking out another Lacrima and holding it up to the audience. He then proceeded to walk up to the podium and place the Lacrima onto the podium. He took the other two Lacrimas and pocketed them into his cloak before speaking out loud over the new Lacrima that began to play. "Sorry if everyone thought that I was backing out of this and was hoping you would just forget about everything I promised, but I decided to do a separate recording when it was easier for me to." He flashed his toothy grin before returning to the group.

Sayuki and all the Fairy Tail mages let out a sigh of relief before diverting their attention to the projection. As expected, Natsu activated the same spell although it was greatly enhanced due to the improvements he made. The Guild Master was able to pull off the spell with even greater precision and sheer power then he originally did.

The combination of uppercuts, jabs, and tornado roundhouse kicks generated brutal shockwaves that impressed even Jura who was standing with the rest of his guild in Lamia Scale's booth. "So this is the Natsu Dragneel who was my acquaintance throughout our ordeal with the Oracion Seis? I must get the opportunity to experience his potential firsthand." He smiled at his new resolution.

Right as Natsu finished his spell, all the mages that witnessed the projection were left dumbstruck. After an eternity of silence that followed, a mage gained the courage to raise her hand and speak out loud. "Excuse me, Master Natsu? You're saying that if we get the chance to duel you and your… Err… 'Nakama,' we can expect performance similar to those improvements?"

"Yes." Natsu concluded with complete confidence. At this moment, he believed everything was working out in his favor. The only thing he purposely didn't add to his presentation was the promise he made to his Nakama. Even then, this was only so he could save time and keep the atmosphere as light and relatable as possible.

Just as the Guild Master was about to signal for Gran Doma to take his place, a random woman in the audience also gained the courage to raise her hand before calling out loud. "Master Natsu, with all due respect, how do we know your improvements haven't been edited? I find it hard to believe that even 'The Great Salamander' of all people was able to make an improvement like that. What you just showed us is near Wizard Saint level." She finished sarcastically.

Natsu was left at a loss for words. He never thought people would be doubting the proof he mustered: an actual recording. Before he could begin stuttering out loud, Gran Doma began to walk up on stage to take Natsu's place. The elderly man walked up to the podium and began to speak into the mic to reassure the audience in hopes he could persuade them to side with Master Natsu and him.

He knew that Org was was watching a live Lacrima recording of the event, and Gran Doma needed to do everything to please him and the audience to keep his title. "I assure you that Master Natsu will be given the appropriate time throughout the event to prove his worth. That's one of the primary reasons I approved of this event. Not only will it give us an opportunity to improve on everything Master Natsu stated, but the events held throughout the Magic Coalition will serve as a way to gauge how effective his methods are."

The woman was content with this offer and crossed her arms in acceptance. Gran Doma then began to speak out loud to the crowds. "If any of you still have second doubts about Master Natsu's methods due to the nature of his evidence, I would like to introduce to you the first event of the Magic Coalition... An exhibition match. Anyone who wishes to challenge him may do so at this moment."

Another deathly silence fell upon the battleground. Even though many were having doubts of Natsu's improvements, that still didn't mean they wanted to face anything close to his original power: regardless if the Guild Master did or didn't improve since then. All the participants were concerned about was that Natsu wasn't going to be able to consistently divert his attention to guild mates. That didn't mean anyone was willing to challenge him as a way to prove this.

After a few second of Silence, Master Ooba nudged Jura forward before speaking into the Wizard Saint's ear. "You better go up there and win or I'll spin you! He might be the Fairy Tail Guild Hall Master, but that doesn't mean you can't teach him a few things he still has to learn!"

Jura simply smiled and whispered back. "Of course. I'm simply shocked that this opportunity has come so soon. I thought the Magic Council would have already picked someone to challenge him beforehand." Jura stated before walking out of the booth. Just before he could announce his presence, another person who was standing directly to the side of the stage began to walk up to challenge the Guild Master. Jura simply sighed before reentering his booth much to his Guild Master's dismay. _"Apparently, our time has yet to come Salamander."_ He smiled in acceptance.

Everyone darted their attention to the challenger who began to take the stage. Gran Doma then spoke out loud into the mic. "It appears we have a challenger!" The elderly man stated before walking to the side of the stage to shake the mage's hand. "What would you name happen to be?"

The challenger leaned in to whisper everything into his ear to create suspense. The audience could see the challenger perfectly, however, Gran Doma was blocking the person's view from the rest of Fairy Tail on stage. Natsu tried leaning to see who his challenger was, but to no avail.

Gran Doma simply nodded in approval after the challenger finished speaking to him. The elderly man then gestured for Natsu to take position on the opposite end of the stage which he readily complied with. Right as he prepared himself for the match, he instructed Macao to lead the rest of his Nakama off the stage and back onto the sidelines where they could observe the duel. Gran Doma then began to travel back to the podium to speak into the mic once he saw Fairy Tail off the stage.

As Gran Doma moved away from the challenger, both Bisca and Natsu went wide eyed as they realized who the hidden challenger was. Bisca only plastered a dirty smirk on her in response to this revelation _"Oh… This should be good."_ She thought to herself as she began to lean against a tree.

Natsu was too shocked to even speak. He simply flashed his signature toothy grin to the challenger standing across the platform before Gran Doma spoke into the mic once more. "On the right is Master Natsu Dragneel of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. And on the left we have the challenger. We welcome the independent mage..." He paused for dramatic effect before booming. "Kagura Mikazuchi! Let the match begin!"

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	11. Chapter 11 - Magic Coalition: Part Two

**Author's Note:** I'm back with another update! I intended for the Magic Coalition to be two chapters with lengths of 8K and 10K words respectively, but I feel more comfortable spreading it out over a third chapter that has around the same word count as this one. When the Magic Coalition is done, it'll hopefully consist of three chapters with 8K words each.

As for this update, A LOT goes down in it, so please read it carefully as it's really important as to what's to come in the future.

I don't have much else to say other than updates might be pushing a bit later now (closer to biweekly) since I'm trying to take my academic work seriously. If you're looking for more information, I recently updated my profile page!

Like always, I check my reviews daily and read every single one of them. If you have any ideas for future chapters, let me know and I'll even give you credit if I decide to implement it.

On that note, thank you all for reading and contributing your insurmountable support. You are the reason this Fanfiction is being read by others. With that being said, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 11: Magic Coalition: Part Two**

Silence. That was all the only thing that was able to fill the empty atmosphere. Even after Gran Doma introduced Kagura and left the stage, no one dared applaud or even speak out loud for the challenger confronting Natsu. The only thing the audience was left with were their individual thoughts.

Sayuki's eyes bulged open as she began to scream in her mind. "Does this chick have a death wish or something?! She can't seriously be thinking about challenging Master Natsu with a Katana." She paused to examine the magical item inside of the scabbard that Kagura was holding. "It doesn't even look like a good Katana! The crossguard of the hilt has a freaking bandage wrapped around it for crying out loud! Did she even see what Master Natsu did to that Magic Power Finder?"

Romeo and Kinana were both equally shocked atop Fairy Tail's booth. They both looked at each other before the young boy whispered to the bar maid. "That purple haired girl doesn't stand a chance." He deadpanned.

Kinana sulked and began to pout at Romeo's response. "What do you have against purple hair? She's really pretty you know?" She joked with him while referring to her own hair.

The duo continued to watch the stage in anticipation of what was to happen next.

Back with Natsu and Kagura, they were unknowingly to one another examining the other from their separate sides. Even though neither dare move from their position in anticipation the other opponent could use this opportunity to strike, the two mages were silently gauging their magical potential, intimidation, as well as who would dare make the first strike come time.

Although most of the audience was agreeing that this match would be a blowout for the Guild Master, Natsu knew well enough that this wasn't the case. _"_ _So her name is Kagura… I_ _can tell she's been practicing with that sword ever since I bought it for her._ _She's only had it for a week and she eve_ _n_ _told me she doesn't use_ _Sword Magic_ _like Erza. If that's the case, why is there so much magic coming from her Katana? Even though she hasn't drawn it yet, I can practically feel its aura from all the way over there. It's almost like its true power is hidden."_

Natsu momentarily paused out of frustration before recollecting his thoughts and continuing. " _I may be a shitty Guild Master, but even then, I've been using my strengths to my advantage_ _this whole time_ _: training, sparring, and improving my magical potential. Hell, I've been using magic ever since Igneel taught me._ _Battling is my thing!_ _Either I still have a lot to learn, or I just found a new opponent_ _who could very well be as strong as Jellal_ _. I just hope it isn't both._ _But what I can say for certain is that I'm not just going to try my best… I'm going to win._ _Nothing ever stops me from kicking ass._ _"_

Natsu began to deny the fear about his opponent before furiously shaking his head in an apologetic manner. Even though a duel was taking place between and the challenger, he dumbly began to speak to his opponent while smiling. "It's nice to see you again! So I heard your name is Kagura? I see you're still using that Kata-"

Before he could continue, Kagura darted towards the Dragon Slayer at a speed that rivaled his own. Natsu had absolutely no time to react as his opponent drew her scabbard resting against her hip and slashed upwards towards Natsu's cheek.

The silent atmosphere was shattered by the entire audience gasping at the sudden change in events

Natsu reflexively rolled backwards in order to avoid a possible fatal blow. When he reeled back to his feet, his enhanced hearing picked up a slow pattering against the wooden stage. He rubbed his cheek only to feel a trickle of blood rolling down his skin.

Even though this laceration surprised the audience, Natsu remained unfazed by it. Instead, he was startled by something more surprising. When he looked back towards Kagura who backpedaled slightly to increase their distance, he noticed that she had not even drawn her Katana when she attacked him. It was still in her scabbard.

Natsu knew this was bad. He knew that he needed to counter and end this duel as fast as possible. Just as he was about to make his move, the beautiful yet cold girl began speaking to him a couple feet away. "So you're the Guild Master of the Fairy Tail Guild hall?"

Natsu was so shocked the girl actually said something that he couldn't even muster an appropriate response. "What of it?" He stuttered.

"Natsu Dragneel…? I assume you know by now I'm serious about this duel. If I win, you must tell me everything you know about Jellal Fernandez." The girl stated nonchalantly.

" _A wager?! What's wrong with this chick?! She charges me and wants to make a wager all of a sudden?! How the hell am I able to think straight when she was able to cut me without even drawing her sword?! It's only an exhibition match! So much for having no emotion. Hell, so much for fight now talk later."_ Natsu muttered in his mind as his enhanced eyesight allowed him to confirm that Kagura had not unsheathed her weapon. He then began to speak out out loud. "No offense, but you don't seem like the type of person to make a bet."

"Your assumption is correct. I have little value for something so trivial as a wager. This time, however, I will make an exception."

"What are you going on about?" The Guild Master responded in confusion.

"I recognize your name, Natsu Dragneel. When you told me a week ago that you knew Erza Scarlet, I didn't realize you were the person who were with her during the Tower of Heaven until Gran Doma announced your name for the duel. If I win, you must tell me everything you know of Jellal Fernandez."

"Umm… Sure?" Natsu stuttered completely confused. "And if I win, you've gotta tell me why you want to know about Jellal all of a sudden!"

Kagura nodded in response before Natsu was once again left to his thoughts. _"If she's fighting to know about Jellal, then this match just got more intense."_

* * *

The audience had completely mixed reactions. For the more powerful mages, they could sense the magical potential coming from Kagura. Others wanted to know why Kagura wanted to know about the man who betrayed the Magic Council. Most of the males mages were shocked that a girl as attractive as her has never been heard of up until this point.

Jura was the first to comment about this to Master Ooba. "Once they get their 'introductions' out of the way, I'm sure that this will be an amazing match. I never would have thought that independent mages such as her could possess this level of power! I for one wish to find out why the young lady wants to know about Jellal Fernandez."

One of his guild mates, Lyon Vista, responded to him. "Jura, What are you talking about? Master Natsu's opponent got a lucky hit off. So what? As much as I hate to say it, when it comes to brute strength, Master Natsu's going to win without a doubt. I unfortunately had to face that first hand on Galuna Island."

"I wouldn't call her move 'lucky.' Master Natsu's opponent actually has the upper hand here. The speed she used to execute her strike was nearly to the point where I wasn't able to keep up with her. Her potential is undeniable and could easily rival Natsu or me for that matter since you overlooked a rather glaring fact." Jura mentored.

"Which is?" Lyon pressed wanting to know what he missed.

"Look at her Katana. What do you see?"

"It's still in her scabbard. She probably drew it for a quick second and put it back inside its sleeve when we couldn't see. She can move fast, after all. I wouldn't be surprised at all if that were the case."

"While you're correct in that she can move fast nearly beyond the human eye can see, my sight was able to keep up with her. I can assure you that she did not draw her sword during her attack."

"You're joking. How is that even possible?" Lyon Gasped.

"Unfortunately, even I don't have the answer to that question. She is a very mysterious mage after all. None of us have ever heard of her before the Magic Coalition which is why I am just as surprised about her magical potential as much as you are. I can say with certainty that she's not only on par with Master Natsu, but she ultimately has the upper hand: the element of surprise. With all that being considered, if Master Natsu counterattacks first… The probability that he will lose this battle is high."

"I never thought I would hear someone use the words 'Natsu' and 'Lose' in the same sentence together. This has to be some kind of screwed up nightmare for him."

Jura chuckled at Lyon before continuing. "I never said he would lose. He would just be fighting an uphill battle if he chooses to counterattack first. You never want to try attacking a mage who you know so little about. Master Natsu is one of the most versatile fighters in Fiore and I had the honor of fighting by his side. He probably already saw right through this by now though."

"And if he isn't able to see through this?"

"There's the one flaw is my argument. Master Natsu's loud, brash, and overconfident nature could very well be his downfall during this match. His brute force coupled with his will personality will encourage him to counterattack at the first opportunity. It's up to him to see if he's able to predict this."

"So if he attacks first… Well… He doesn't want to attack first or else. What are you suggesting his opponent will do to take advantage of that?"

"Yes. If Master Natsu attacks first, he will be in serious trouble. I still don't know how his opponent could utilize this to her advantage. After all, his opponent wouldn't have surprises up her sleeve if we knew what they were." Jura finished by smiling.

Lyon was then momentary left to his thoughts. _"You better not lose Natsu Dragneel. I won't accept it. There's only one person that's going to beat you, and that's me. I'll do it for Gray if I have to."_ He finished by reminiscing about his childhood friend that passed away.

* * *

The Fairy Tail Guild members were still off to the side. Instead of being interested in the direction Natsu's battle was heading, they were all stunned about the events that unfolded.

Macao was the only one worried about Natu's chance at victory. He began to whisper to the Fairy Tail members grouped up with him. "Shit, this isn't good."

"What's wrong Macao?" Vijeeter blankly questioned because he couldn't understand what the advisor was talking about.

"You're telling me no one else can see it?"

After blank stares were plastered on his guild mates faces, Vijeeter began to whisper in response. "C'mon Macao. Give us a break. We're not as smart as you."

Macao groaned before continuing. "Look at her Katana. It's still sheathed in its scabbard."

"And? She probably drew it to attack and sheathed it again when we couldn't see her."

"That wouldn't make any sense though. She should have been expecting a counterattack and ready to use her sword in case Natsu executed one. I know this sounds crazy, but I don't think she drew her sword when she attacked Natsu."

"Macao, how was she able to cut Master Natsu's cheek with just a scabbard?"

"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't be this confused. She had the advantage with her first attack and it's obvious she has more surprises under her sleeve. Her speed alone suggests her power could very well rival Master Natsu's."

"Are you suggesting that Master Natsu's… Going to lose?" Vijeeter began to shiver slightly.

"Vijeeter, this is Natsu Dragneel here. We've talked about this a million times before. All bets are off when it comes to him fighting. The outcome is just too unpredictable."

Bisca then reluctantly responded to Macao. "How do you think Romeo is holding up from all of this?"

"Kinana's probably restraining him from screaming to counterattack. This is Natsu's fight, after all. All we can do is watch and see how he chooses to play out this battle of his. What you should be worrying about is why that chick wants to know about Jellal." Macao contemplated while stroking his stubble in even more confusion.

* * *

Back on the stage, Natsu was able to pick up on the conversation the rest of Fairy Tail was having. He wasn't able to pick up on what Jura stated to Lyon and Master Ooba, because they were too far away. This caused him to panic at the opponent in front of him. He had never felt so cornered and surprised in his life. Not against Jellal, not against Zero, but for once, he felt fear that his opponent could actually beat him. _"_ _M_ _acao is right about Romeo_ _. If this girl is_ _as powerful as I think she is_ _, I need to counterattack right now."_ He recited in his mind.

This was a mistake that Natsu would come to regret. Natsu kept his eye on his target and was ready to track her movements if she tried to avoid his next attack. The Dragon Slayer inhaled deeply while planting his right foot behind him for support. At the apex of his breath, he only filled his lungs partially to preserve some of his true potential. He then cupped his hands in the shape of a funnel against his mouth. A red magic circle formed at the end of his hands before he activated the spell. _**"**_ _ **Fire Dragon's Roar!"**_ He boomed while exhaling.

Immediately, a constant stream of blistering flames left his mouth and propagated through his hands. The training he went through the past month improved the spell's power so much that the audience could feel the heat looming over them at full intensity: causing some to have trouble breathing. The audience continued to go wide eyed as they realized that the girl did not move from her position. Most of them assumed it was because of the sheer intensity of the attack did Kagura finally realize the true potential of her opponent and that she stood no chance.

The torrent of flames completely encased the beautiful mage standing a few feet away from him and continued to erupt into a pillar of fire upon hitting her: completely scorching the surroundings. The flames formed into the vortex to make sure that his opponent had no chance of using her agility to dodge Natsu's spell. After a few seconds, the torrent of flames began to dissipate and gravitate towards where the girl was struck.

Natsu and the audience thought he had won the duel, so only one though crossed his mind. " _You've got a lot to learn if_ _you_ _think that you_ _can_ _handle a direct hit from_ _one of my most powerful basic spells."_

Natsu's attack continued to dissipate at a fast pace towards where Kagura was standing. He began to think to himself again when he realized his flames appeared to be getting sucked up by her. _"_ _That's weird… I don't remember the vortex of flames I added going away_ _that_ _fast. Who am I kidding,_ _it's not like she's a Dragon Slayer or anything and can just eat my flames._ _Maybe I should've juat add more power behind it._ _"_ Natsu shrugged to himself. When the flames completely dissipated, Natsu's eyes widened in response and the smirk that was plastered across his face vanished so fast that it was comical. He then did something he had never done; take a step backwards. The audience was just as horrified as he was at the turn in events.

Kagura was standing in front of the Dragon Slayer and remained completely unfazed by his attack. Her clothes were perfectly intact and the only sign of Natsu's spell being executed other than the scorch marks was that she was holding her scabbard vertically in front of her which was molten red from the heat. She responded with one sentence before beginning her onslaught. " **Honki o** **misete miro** **.** Show me what you can really do, Dragon Slayer!" She translated. Kagura then swiped her scabbard in a downward motion which projected the Dragon Slayer magic absorbed by her sword back towards her opponent.

* * *

Jura was the first to respond. "I never would have predicted Master Natsu's situation would be this severe. It seems as if his opponent has the capabilities of absorbing projectile attacks and choosing to deflect them back at her opponent. What a powerful strategy! That alone can counter nearly all types of Caster magic!"

Another one of Lamia Scale's members, Sherry, began to scoff. "I guess Master Natsu really isn't that tough after all. Most of his attacks are ranged so there goes his chances at winning."

"I wouldn't speak too soon Sherry. While Master Natsu does mostly use ranged attacks, I have experienced a deflection spell once before joining Lamia Scale. The counter to a deflection spell is to overwhelm the opponent's Magical Potential. If the opponent is able to overwhelm the caster who is deflecting, the deflection spell won't be able to activate properly. In the case of Kagura's scabbard, it will fail to absorb the more powerful incoming attack."

"I'm sensing a big 'if' with what you just stated." Sherry replied.

"Yes. This is assuming Natsu is able to use an attack that can overwhelm her magical potential. Judging from her speed and conditioning, even I'm not able to make such an assumption." Jura frowned.

Lyon was able to recollect his shocked thoughts before chiming in. "There's got to be another way for him to ..."

"Other than close ranged combat, there is not. Judging from how fast Natsu's opponent is, I'm not sure that would be his best course of action right now. His only option is to use a rather powerful attack and hope for the best. And for Natsu, he doesn't even prefer to battle that way. He tries to weaken his opponent down over time." Jura stated.

Lyon staggered in utter shock again before gripping his head in frustration. Natsu was in a corner. _"YOU IDIOT! YOU JUST HAD TO COUNTERATTACK!"_

* * *

Fairy Tail was by far the most horrified of everyone. Macao was the first to respond. "Who… Who the hell is she and what kind of weapon does she have that allows her to deflect spells!"

Max began to stutter in response. "Deflection spells? I didn't even know that existed. If that's the case, how the hell is Natsu supposed to beat her?"

Macao was able to muster a slight smirk. "Natsu hasn't lost yet, no matter how grim this might be, that kid always has a chance. He's been training for a month with us, and I can guarantee you he has some tricks up his sleeves that we don't even know about." Macao smirked.

Bisca caught on to his sarcasm and began to skeptically speak. "Macao… What do you know? You're probably the closest to him, so you'd better tell us what Natsu plans on doing."

Macao shook his head while smirking. "Just watch and see."

* * *

Natsu was on the defensive right now. He was too occupied avoiding the barrage of arced projectiles his opponent was deflecting back at him, so he didn't have the time to pick up on Fairy Tail's conversation or even figure a way out of the mess he was in.

" _There's no way that deflect of hers can be the end all of spells. There's got to be a way to overcome that."_ Natsu thought to himself while dodging the last of his own magic. He had an idea, but he needed to make sure it didn't seem obvious.

Once he dodged the deflected Dragon Slayer magic, he began to change up his strategy completely. Instead of ranged attacks, the Dragon Slayer began to resort to something his opponent couldn't deflect: close range combat. " _ **Fire Dagon's Iron Fist**_!" He chanted. Instead of him channeling magic to only one arm, two magic circles formed around both his hands and he began to rush his opponent.

Natsu closed in and threw his punches at breakneck speed which Kagura was able to parry wither her scabbard at an even faster pace. He knew that he might not be as fast as her, but his endurance training allowed him to keep up the onslaught much longer than Kagura was able to continue parrying at her peak efficiency.

Even though the Dragon Slayer wasn't able to get a direct hit off on Kagura, he at least got the opportunity to wear her down a good bit considering his endurance outmatched hers.

" _Perfect. I don't think I'll look suspicious by trying this again."_ Natsu ensured he was a good distance away from his opponent before activating his next spell. " _ **Fire Dragon's Cauterizing Strike**_!" Natsu followed up by uppercutting the air in front of him with his right arm. A searing white projectile arched from his forearm and tracked towards the purple haired mage in front.

Kagura had no time to react or dodge due to her exhaustion other than holding her sword up again to deflect the incoming spell. She only had enough time to speak out loud to her opponent. "It doesn't matter the attack, the same is going to hold true. You should know the outcome by now." Before she could wonder why the Dragon Slayer would try another ranged attack, the wind was knocked from her body as the arched projectile completely passed through her sword and struck her abdomen. The gruesome sound of sizzling skin filled the air.

Kagura immediately began to scream in pain as she doubled back. She barely managed to stand upright before speaking out loud. "What… What the hell kind of spell was that?!" She groaned as she rolled up her white blazer. She was horrified to see a large gash that had already completely scarred. The brutal attack left her skin welded together where the cut was inflicted. Even though the wound already looked cauterized by heat, it felt like Natsu's projectile was scalding her from the inside of the incision.

Natsu was so relieved at what he realized that he didn't even bother responding to her question or ending the duel with his discovery. "So it seems you can't deflect spells stronger than your magical potential. Judging from your surprised reaction, it seems that's something YOU haven't even realized up until this point." Natsu smiled as he found something his opponent overlooked. "I guess that up until this point you must have been training against opponents who aren't as strong as you. Either that or you just underestimated that attack I threw at you and thought you could deflect it like any other spell."

He paused to let everything sink in to his opponent. "I'll just have to use all of my power in this next attack!" Natsu said while inhaling deeply to the point where his lungs were completely filled. " _ **Fire Dragon's Roar**_."

Kagura only had one shot at dodging the attack. She held up her sword vertically again and braced for the seemingly endless barrage of flames. The audience began to shield their faces from the intense heat being generated. The spell once again hit Kagura, and an even more massive pillar of fire erupted from her side of the stage in response.

Natsu then staggered back and panted in exhaustion. He usually outmatched opponents with endurance and wasn't used to having to use powerful attacks chained together.

He continued to eye her figure inside the vortex which caused him to lose his composure. "No… She's actually deflecting it again." He whispered to himself as he observed her silhouette absorbing the flames. However, relief ushered over him when he realized it was to no avail. After around 10 seconds since she began to deflect the spell, a loud clunk resounded throughout the park and his flames no longer fought against Kagura's deflection. This allowed Natsu's flames to rage freely until a loud thud followed shortly after.

When the vortex of flames dissipated into cinders throughout the surrounding air, the audience realized what made the clunk and thud. Kagura's metallic scabbard was lying on the stage towards Natsu. Kagura was on her knees clutching her abdomen in pain with multiple burn marks littered across her body. Her clothes were completely tattered and she was left completely exposed to a followup attack. All she did was stare at the ground in emptiness. She lost, but barely.

Natsu continued panting heavily from using so much magic in that one attack. It was risky, but it paid off for him in the end. Natsu eventually broke the tense atmosphere by striding towards where Kagura was kneeling. He picked her scabbard from the ground and held the hilt of it in his grip.

The entire audience was waiting for Natsu to knock her out for the count, but instead of doing this, he twirled the Katana around and held the hilt towards her.

The whole time Kagura closed her eyes in anticipation for the final blow. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head to see why Natsu was hesitating to end the duel. However, she was shocked to realize that Natsu wasn't hesitating in the slightest. Instead, the Dragon Slayer was holding her Katana in front of her to accept it with pride. Kagura reluctantly removed her dominant hand from her abdomen and grasped the Katana's hilt firmly over Natsu's fingers. Natsu removed his grip from underneath before staring into her hazel eyes.

Neither of them spoke. Before either had a chance to react to one another, a thunderous applause broke out and snapped both their attentions from one another. Even though Natsu won the duel, many of the mages in the audience were congratulating the mysterious mage for putting up a fight. Others were still surprised that an independent mage could be that powerful.

Before everyone could begin discussing the outcome of the duel, Gran Doma quickly took the stage to regain control over the situation. He stood behind the podium before speaking into the mic aloud. "I think we can all agree that this exhibition match set's a scene for the rest of the events tomorrow?"

The resounding hoots and cheers from the audience were enough for the elderly man to regain faith in the event that Natsu suggested. "I realize that we would all like to continue congratulating these two on their performance this evening, but the first day of the Magic Coalition has unfortunately come to an end. With that, I must request that all mages and participants leave Magnolia South Gate Park at this time."

" **Awww..."** The audience sighed depressingly.

This encouraged Gran Doma to continue. "I assure you that the event will begin promptly at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Until then, I encourage all of you to be well rested and ready for what awaits you the second day." He finished by taking a small bow while leaving stage.

Before Jura or any of the other participants could begin remarking on the duel, they had to make their ways to the entrance of the park to leave the event.

Natsu took a seat next to Kagura, who was now sitting Indian Style, and let a comfortable silence wash over them. Neither of them wanted to get caught in the exiting crowd, so they enjoyed each others company. Just as Natsu was about to speak to the purple haired mage, she began to rise to her feet to inspect her wounds. Right as she began to straighten up, she moaned in agony before collapsing. Natsu grabbed Kagura by her arm to support her as he helped her sit back down.

"Does it still burn?" Natsu said as he winced looking at the wound he inflicted on her abdomen. It was a powerful attack, after all. The pain in her eyes was all that he needed to help her. Natsu used his free arm to snap his fingers together which ended the spell.

This caused Kagura to sigh in relief. "I don't think you realize how good that feels right now." She attempted to joke at him while Natsu released his grip from her arm. Before she could ask him what spell he used on her, the duo turned their heads to the sound of stampeding feet running across the stage to them.

The noise was caused by Sayuki and the rest Fairy Tail arriving to where they were sitting. Sayuki was the first to start cheering for the two. "Mater Natsu? That was amazing!" She then turned her head to congratulate Kagura. "You did great to! I had doubts to begin with when I saw your weapon, but I definitely stand corrected!"

Kagura also meekly smiled to her before speaking. "Thank you for your kindness."

Natsu stood up to instruct the rest of his guild. "Alright guys. You know the schedule. Go home and rest up. Tomorrow, we'll be able to meet up again and continue the evens that are planned. Oh, and tell Romeo and Kinana that I won this for them!" He finished with a grin.

All the Fairy Tail members, including Sayuki, beamed and chanted together. " **AYE SIR!** "

Before they left to pick up Romeo and Kinana, all the Fairy Tail members gave their individual congratulations to the duo especially Natsu who was able to utilize a new move in his duel.

Sayuki was one of the last in line and Natsu was the only Fairy Tail member to speak to her. "So we can expect to see you here tomorrow?" He smirked.

"You bet Master Natsu! I still have to get my Fairy Tail Guild Mark! I hope you have a good night!" She bowed before sprinting off towards the entrance to fantasize about today.

"Same goes to you." Natsu smiled before diverting his to Bisca who was the last one behind Sayuki. "You have a good night also Bisca."

Bisca grinned at Kagura who was sitting beside Natsu before responding to him. "You did really great today Master Natsu. I'll see you tomorrow, but I hope I'm not the only one who's going to enjoy my night." She finished by subtly winking towards Kagura before leaving the stage.

Although Kagura didn't pick up on her wink as she was staring off into the distance, Natsu was left utterly confused. _"There she goes again acting weird around Kagura! I swear, it's the same way she acts when Macao and his wife speak. But Macao's wife only does that because..."_ Natsu instantly shook his thoughts away in denial. _"No_ _way_ _. That would be stupid."_

Natsu nudged Kagura to get her attention after he was done thinking. "So, you have a hotel that you're staying at?"

"Yes. I'm staying at one near your guild hall for the rest of the Magic Coalition."

"Well, we probably have a lot to talk about. How about I take you over there?"

Kagura stoichally responded. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation on why I wanted to know of Jellal Fernandez." She spat Jellal's name which went unnoticed by Natsu.

The duo then rose to their feet and exited the park. Natsu inhaled the night's air before he began to bring up their wager. "So why'd you want to know about Jellal?"

Kagura sighed before responding. "Do you know Simon by any chance and what happened to him? Simon was with you in the Tower of Heaven."

Natsu grew gloomy before responding. "Yes. I don't really like to remember what happened to him. Are you his friend or something?"

Kagura gritted her teeth thinking about her deceased brother before responding. "His full name is Simon Mikazuchi. You're looking at his sister."

Natsu stopped walking as his eyes widened. Kagura also stopped to see how Natsu was going to react. After a few seconds of utter shock, he was able to piece two and two together before taking a step back from her. "Kagura, I don't know what to say… But you can't mean that you plan to..."

"Why do you think I didn't draw my sword in our duel? When I created this sword, I vowed that I would only unsheathe it to kill Jellal. The sword's name is Archenemy. I was hoping that once you heard of what happened to Simon, you would be willing to help me seek vengeance on Jellal. You and Erza faced his wrath firsthand, so I assumed you would feel the same way."

Natsu sighed in relief when he realized where Jellal was. "Even if I wanted to help you, Jellal is currently serving a life sentence in an unknown maximum security prison. I'm pretty sure the only people who see him nowadays are the guards to his cell."

Kagura immediately spoke when he finished. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How are you able to stay so calm considering everything he's done?"

Natsu smiled. "Even though it's no excuse for his actions, Jellal was being controlled by dark magic to carry out Zeref's orders. But the reason I'm not sad about Simon's death, is because he didn't die in vain. He died protecting not only Erza, but me. Because, I don't know what I would have done if I lost my best friend." He finished by referring to Erza.

Kagura was able to muster a meek smile in response. "Is… Is that really what happened?"

"Kagura, I wouldn't lie about someone's death. Simon might have died from Jellal's spell, but he did so only to protect Erza."

"But… Now Titania is also dead… So Simon really did die for nothing." She frowned as her hatred began to stem towards Jellal again.

"And that's why the moment I found out she died I promised to slaughter the bastard that killed her." Natsu maniacally muttered.

"So someone, or something killed Titania? Then why are you here instead of seeking vengeance? You sound just like how I'm trying to kill Jellal." Kagura wondered.

Natsu sighed before responding. "When I say it's a long story, it's a month long story. I've learned things that helped me move past that promise. Anyways, I wouldn't have time to avenge her even if I wanted to. And let's just say that Erza was the same person to help me overcome her death even though she's no longer by my side."

"How was she able to do that? Do you think the same could apply for me overcoming my brother's death?"

"I have no doubt in my mind it will. Erza told me that everything in life happens for a reason. I'm pretty sure you remember my speech I gave before our duel, but around a month ago, I lost my best friends on their S-Class exam. That includes her. I used what she said to move past that. Even though I still have whatever family Fairy Tail has left, not a day goes by where I miss Erza and the rest of my friends who died. In this case, you might be able to move past your brother's death, but you'll probably never forgive the person who killed him."

"So do I just FORCE myself to forgive Jellal?" Kagura scoffed at the ridiculous idea.

"I never said you had to do that. I can tell you that before Jellal was imprisoned, HE wouldn't forgive himself for his actions. Hell, I'm pretty sure he thought suicide would be too easy for him and that he deserved prison instead. I'm never going to forgive the thing responsible for my Nakama's death, and there's no way in hell I'm going to stop missing them, but there are more important things right now that matter. For you, that might be cherishing the moments you had with your brother considering he obviously meant a lot to you. For me? It's the Nakama I'm left with."

Kagura was speechless at what Natsu had said. As much as she hated to admit it, killing Jellal wasn't going to help her overcome her brother's death. The thing that would help her was being able to move past her hatred, just like Natsu was moving on from his most recent loss.

"So how does this help me move what's past my eyes?" Kagura stated while they began walking again.

Natsu smiled again as he realized this was exactly what he told Erza. "That's for you to decide. It might take days, months, or even years."

"So it's fine if I don't forgive Jellal yet?"

"It's fine if you NEVER forgive Jellal. Just try to realize where I'm coming from."

Kagura stopped looking at Natsu and instead stared into the distance where the Fairy Tail Guild hall was residing. "When you put it like that, perhaps you have a point."

Another comfortable silence fell between them before Natsu began to speak. "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but why do you talk so formal? The first time I met you, I couldn't sense any emotion coming." He reluctantly asked.

Kagura continued to stare into the distance before responding. "I owe you this much as an apology for yelling at you a week ago, but did losing Erza change you in ways you could never see yourself? The same applies with me."

Natsu smiled before responding. "You have a point. I had to completely rework Fairy Tail's structure just to continue keeping our title as guild. But this was probably for the better of our guild hall, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The thing is, I'm confident in my decisions now that I listened to what Erza told me. Are you able to feel the same way?"

Kagura continued staring as she never thought this deep about what someone told her before.

Natsu then continued to clarify. "I had to change in some ways to fully understand what Erza meant when she told me to embrace the path I'm on. But I'm glad I changed in some ways since I know it will help my Nakama and me in the future. The thing is, are you proud of the ways you've changed? Was it worth changing the aspects of your personality just to avenge your brother and gain this unfathomable power of yours? Erza made me realize you can find light in the darkest of places by broadening your view on certain situations and embracing the path you're led on, but does your personality help you go towards the path of light? Or fall into the path darkness? Kagura, what are you embracing?"

Another comfortable silence dawned upon the duo while Kagura gathered her thoughts. "I've always contemplated that the path I've been led down was the one that would help me in my future; this is the path that would help me embrace what I can be proud of." Kagura stated.

"There's nothing wrong with accepting that you were led down the wrong path. You've probably never heard of him before, but one of my Nakama who vanished on Fairy Tail's S-Class exam was Gajeel Redfox. Long story short, he was originally part of a rival guild called Phantom Lord. Gajeel was responsible for destroying Fairy Tail's Guild hall and assaulting three of my other guild members: two of which are still alive today. He realized that if he sucked up his pride, maybe Fairy Tail could help him make a quick buck or two in the future! Gajeel ended up joining and embraced a new path that he could be proud of!"

Kagura stopped walking and looked at Natsu. "Fairy Tail… I've never heard of your guild up until now since I always traveled. Are all your mages strong?"

"We wouldn't be the number one guild for nothing!" Natsu beamed.

Kagura began to think again and come to a resolution _"Perhaps the reason I came to the Magic Coalition was to join Fairy Tail. Could it be that this is the path I'm led down? Is it even be possible for me to learn to overcome what Jellal did to Simon considering I invested so much time and training into killing him?_ _I'll ask him one more question… The answer to that will decide my faith._ _"_ She then began to speak out loud. "You said my magical potential is unfathomable… Is that true?"

"Of course! You nearly deflected my Fire Dragon's Roar at full power!"

"Let me ask you this, do you think I would be as powerful as I am today if it weren't for my hatred towards Jellal?"

A couple of seconds passed between the duo before Natsu chuckled. "Let me guess, if I say you wouldn't be as powerful as you are today if it weren't for your hatred towards Jellal, you would continue on your destiny right now. This is because you would have nothing else to use your power towards. The thing is, if I say you would still be as powerful as you are today without that hatred, you would have the conscious to use your power towards something else that would help you overcome Simon's death?"

Kagura was at a loss of words. "How- How duh- did you know?"

"You don't seem like someone to question their own potential without a good reason to. To answer your original question, I personally believe that your power stems from whatever you chose for it to. Even though you despise him, let's take Jellal for example. He spent the majority of his life and magic potential attempting to construct a device that could resurrect the deceased. When I fought him to stop him from doing this, it was by far the toughest fight I've ever had. When he finally realized his wrongdoings just before he was imprisoned, he was just as powerful as he used to be: if not stronger."

"Then with everything you just said, it sounds as if my best course of action is joining Fairy Tail." Kagura meekly smiled towards him while they began to near her hotel.

"Why's that?" Natsu pressed on wanting to know what she learned from their conversation.

"Well, if if I DID join, it would be because it would help me overcome Simon's death. I would finally be able to use my magic towards something other than hatred towards Jellal. That might have been the path I've been lead down these past few months, but it could be time to prove that joining a guild could help change my perspective by finding a reason to move past everything that has happened to me. You were able to move past Erza's death even though something was responsible for her death, but you realized there's the possibility of a better future ahead of us if we embrace another path."

"You've got it. Simon knows that you love him. What's important is that you treasure what you had with Simon, but move on from that. As much as you might deny it, killing Jellal could change your future for the worse."

Kagura hesitated before responding "I know it sounds like you want me to figure this out for myself, but where's a good starting point? I mean, you said Erza was able to help you overlook to look your other friends vanishing form her advice, so what does that mean for me?"

Natsu turned to face Kagura, smiled, and put a hand on her shoulder which caused her to turn toward him. "Come and join Fairy Tail. Simon might not be with us anymore, but that doesn't mean you won't have a family. You'll be able to prove to yourself that your power doesn't stem from your hatred towards Jellal. We can show you the correct path that will help you overcome what you're facing. As for what that path is… Well… I'm not going to give that away." He finished by smirking.

Kagura stared into his eyes at the serious advice she was just given. She treasured the times she had with her brother, but just like Natsu wanting to kill Acnologia, she didn't have to kill Jellal to feel satisfied about her accomplishment. There was another way to overcome her brother's death, and that was by joining a family that she knew she could protect and guide her down another path that could benefit her. For the first time ever since she was with Simon, Kagura genuinely smiled. "Maybe joining Fairy Tail is what I'm meant to do, but I expect a rematch one day, Master Natsu." She confirmed.

The duo began to approach the hotel while Natsu responded. "You bet your ass we will."

"Speaking of a rematch, I wanted to ask you about that spell you used in our duel. I believe it was called **_Cauterizing Strike_**. I never would have thought it would completely bypass my deflection spell."

Natsu hesitated before responding. "I actually wanted to say I was sorry for going overboard with that spell." He paused to wince at Kagura's scar on her abdomen that was still healing. "It's just a move I was able to come up with after all the training my guild mates went through this past month. It wasn't a weak spell by any means, because I had to concentrate all of my magic into that one attack momentarily. The only other person that knew about it was my advisor. He probably told the rest of my guild mates about it once I activated the spell. Now the attack itself is just an arced wave of fire that I project from my arm that tracks its target. I momentarily use all my magic to make the flames so hot that it not only creates a gash, but it instantly cauterizes it. The inside of the wound houses the projectile until it either dissipates over time or until I cancel the spell."

"I can see why everyone calls you Salamander. When I realized earlier that the person who purchased my sword for me was the Natsu Dragneel who could use lost magic, I had to jump at the opportunity to duel you. I knew what I was up against, so there's no need to apologize. After all, defeating you would mean I was one step closer to defeating Jellal." Another silence fell between the duo before Kagura spoke. "Anyways, that's not the case anymore. The day I find my new path to overcome Simon's death will be the day I unsheathe Archenemy. That will be the day we have a rematch so that I can prove to you how much I've learned form everything you told me."

"Then as Fairy Tail's Guild Master, I'll do everything to help you get to that day." Natsu finished by giving her a warm smile.

"It's getting pretty late, it would be best if I returned to my room." Kagura stoichally gestured towards the doors to the hotel.

"No problem. I'll also need my rest for tomorrow also. We can talk about you joining Fairy Tail when all the other independent mages choose their guilds they want to accompany for the event. Just sleep over what we discussed since it's a lot to take into consideration and remember what I said."

Kagura nodded in response. "Of course. And Master Natsu? Thank you again… For helping me with Simon's death. Your speech that you gave earlier made me realize that I vented some of my anger towards Jellal for the lack of attention I had when Simon died. I just denied it and still made that wager wanting to kill Jellal as my resort. I never realized that what Erza told you about viewing a situation in a different way related to any of this. From now on, I won't resort to anything as silly as a wager when I haven't seen the full perspective of a situation. You see, me and Simon didn't have much while growing up: only each other. So learning that I'll one day overcome all of this means a lot right now as conformation from you. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Anytime Kagura. That's what Fairy Tail members are here for. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night." Natsu smiled towards her before turning around and heading back to the guild hall to finish some late night work. When he was sure that she was out of earshot, he joked to himself out loud. "So she really does have emotion. There's no way I can allow her to kill Jellal no matter what his past was like, it's just not the right path for her to follow. But Archenemy..." He muttered to himself. "Even though it's still sheathed, I can still feel its power looming over me from all the way out here. I hate to say it, but unless I train even more than I already am, the day she unsheathes that weapon might be the day I lose a battle."

Natsu began to enter the guild's courtyard while vigorously shaking his head. "No… When have I ever lost a battle before? Besides, that's not what matters most right now. What matters most is that we're able to continue remaining a guild in our future together. I think now that Kagura is able to realize that everything I have done this past month is to support her and the rest of Fairy Tail, she might be able to use that to overcome her brother's death. It'll take years for her to realize how this relates to what she's facing, but what she needed all along since Simon passed away is the same as what I needed when the Tenrou Group vanished: giving attention to a family that she can PROTECT with her power and WON'T leave her. Who knows? Maybe she's already related that speech to how I told her that there's another way to overcome Simon's death besides killing Jellal. That's gotta be the case, because for the first time ever, I actually sensed a change in her personality." Natsu finished before walking up to the guild's doors.

He took the keys out of his coat's pocket before opening the double doors with them. He made his way into the lifeless hall while the doors closed behind him. Even though he didn't think twice about what he just told himself, for the first time ever, Natsu was truly able to reason without help from anyone.

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** There you have it! Kagura and Sayuki are joining Fairy Tail and will hopefully become protagonists in the future. I don't know how many of you were expecting an OC and Kagura to join, but if you weren't, I hope you enjoyed the plot twist (?)


	12. Chapter 12 - Magic Coalition: Finale

**Author's Note:** I got nothing if I'm being honest. The reason for not updating in a while? It's because I kept missing my update period.

What I mean by that is if you've been paying REAL close attention to when my last few chapters were uploaded, it's around three in the afternoon. That's because that's around the time my readers get home from school or start to wrap up their work for the day. Other then that, here's chapter 12! Like always, thank you for reading and I hope you continue to support this Fanfiction. I read all reviews, so feel free to post anything relevant to the story: flames or not!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 12: Magic Coalition: Finale**

Every guild present at the Magic Coalition was currently housed inside their booths with their guild members awaiting instructions from Gran Doma. The second day had just begun, so all the independent mages were scattered across the interior battlefield anxiously discussing when they were going to meet other guilds and hopefully participate in events similar to Master Natsu's exhibition.

Among the guilds was Fairy Tail discussing the plans for the rest of the day.

"Hey Kinana? Did you remembered to bring that Guild Mark stamp from the bar?"

"Don't worry Master Natsu. It's right here with the rest of our stuff." Kinana beamed while holding up a small pouch containing basic supplies for the event.

"Perfect. I hope you brought some magical ink, because I already KNOW that two really strong mages are joining the guild."

"Oh? Would one of them happen to be that brown haired lass that ran with us on stage yesterday?" Wakaba jokingly nudged from beside Natsu.

"Yup! Her name is Sayuki. I'll introduce you guys to her later when Gran Doma gives us more instructions."

Bisca got up from her seat next to Alzack and also nudged Natsu. "I can probably guess who the other one joining is." She finished with a wink.

Macao approached the two mages who were making Natsu uncomfortable and separated them. "C'mon guys, give Master Natsu some room. It's too early to start teasing him." He finished with a yawn.

Macao didn't get the chance to continue. He was interrupted by Gran Doma taking the stage and walking up to the podium. The elderly man tapped the mic a few times to grab the attention of all the mages. This caused Wakaba and Bisca to stop teasing their Guild Master and take their seats inside their booth. They peered out the front opening of their booth while Gran Doma began to speak to the silenced crowds.

"I welcome all of you to the second day of the Magic Coalition! Judging from all your reactions from yesterday's exhibition match, I assume you're all interested in viewing guilds that have your interest?" The hoots and cheers were all Gran Doma needed to continue. "It was already stated in Sorcerer Magazine, but the first three hour block of the event will be dedicated to all our independent mages getting the opportunity to interact with other guilds. During this time, guilds can even recruit new independent mages interested in joining. No one is being forced to join a guild system whatsoever, but at the end of this period, all independent mages must have already found a guild to accompany for the rest of the Magic Coalition. Now without further ado, feel free to use the next three hours to interact with your fellow guilds and accompany one that catches your interest!"

As soon as Gran Doma finished saying the instructions, he left the podium and stood off to the side of the stage to monitor the commotion.

Natsu immediately got Macao's attention once the crowds started to visit the other guild booths. "Hey Old Man? This is perfect! With all the commotion going on, I'll be able to sneak away and hopefully catch up with other guilds myself."

"Hold up Master Natsu! What the hell do you expect us to do? " Macao warned the Guild Master while gesturing to the rest of their Nakama sitting in their chairs. They were all giving Natsu a puzzled look because of his actions.

"What do you think you should do? You're my advisor, so how about trying to advise?" Natsu sarcastically deadpanned.

"That doesn't even make sense. Don't forget that we have to make a good impression for the other mages. If we don't, then they're not going to support the Magic Coalition when it comes time for them to provide feedback. I think we all know what happens after that. Not to mention the second day just began and we don't know how busy it's going to get at our booth. I think you should go later on when everyone is warmed up to the event. I mean, do you even have a plan of where you're going?"

"It's not like I'm not going on an S-Class quest or anything. I just need to meet up with some of the other guilds so I have an idea of what we can expect in our future as a guild. If any independent mages stop by our booth, just introduce everyone to them until I return. It's not like I'll be able to visit the other guilds later on because we'll all be too busy interacting with them."

Laki stood up from her seat and shrugged. "He's got a point Macao. You were the one to say that being Guild Master doesn't mean Master Natsu knows the answers to Earthland's problems. Let him introduce himself to the other guilds while he still has the chance. I'm sure we can do a good job 'selling our guild out' to the independent mages who stop by."

Macao would have responded to her, but he was too fixated on a small group of older mages approaching Fairy Tail's booth from afar. He ignored Laki's response and began speaking to Natsu again. "Master Natsu? You said that you wanted to visit some of the other guilds so you got the chance to introduce yourself to them."

"Does that mean I can go?" Natsu skeptically replied.

"I don't think that's necessary. Looks to me like they're all coming to you." Macao pointed towards the group of mages approaching. Everyone inside Fairy Tail's booth peered outside to see who they were.

Four mages were making their way through the crowd towards Fairy Tail. The mage to the left was large, bald, and cross dressed. He had small white wings on his back and was walking eccentrically which caused everyone in Fairy Tail's booth to shudder.

Next to him was a short, elderly woman wearing a magenta cloak who was twiddling her thumbs deviously.

Walking on the other side of her was a middle aged man wearing a black witch hat and matching pants.

To the very right of the entire group was the most intimidating member. This mage was bald yet very well built in stature. He was wearing a black Japanese kimono and sandals.

This immediately caught the attention of Natsu inside the booth. As the group approached the guild, he called the mages out by their names respectively form the window. "Well that was easy! Master Bob… Master Ooba… Master Goldmine… And there's Jura!"

Master Goldmine was the first to reach the window and begin speaking. "It's good to see you again kid. Last time I saw Fairy Tail was when you guys stopped Lullaby from destroying Clover Town." He greeted with a smirk.

Natsu smiled back at him and responded awkwardly. "It's great to see you to Master Goldmine. But is there a reason you came to see me instead of me coming to see you?"

This time, Master Ooba snapped. "Well we wouldn't be here for nothing you youngster!"

Natsu inched back before responding. "I'm sorry! I'm still new to the whole 'Guild Master' thing."

Master Bob began to profusely apologize for his friend's antics. "Oh, pay not mind to her Master Natsu. We just wanted to know if you had any information that could help us explain the latest quests that have been circulating around our guilds. Jura was able to get some on his regular quests he takes, but we don't have much to work on other than that."

This immediately caught Natsu's interest. "Actually, I was planning on coming to visit you guys so I could get caught up with some of the latest news. The thing is, I've been so wound up with trying to support our guild ever since Gramps and the rest of our mages vanished that I haven't even had time to keep track of what's going on outside our guild."

"That's quite alright kid." Master Goldmine grew gloomy as he was reminded of his deceased team member. "If you want us to get you caught up on what's worrying us, we'll need to talk in private. I hope you're able to understand why."

Natsu shrugged before turning to Macao next to him. "You cool with me stepping out for a few minutes?"

"Don't worry. Take all the time you need. I'll just do what you wanted me to do in the first place: advise." He finished by giving Natsu a joking smirk.

"I won't be long." Natsu nodded before taking his leave with the four mages. He lead them to the rear of the booth and leaned against it before speaking. "Let's try to keep it down still."

The four mages nodded in approval before Jura stepped forward to greet Natsu. "Master Natsu? I would first like to congratulate you on your victory yesterday. Your battle style was rather intriguing to say the least considering you overcame your opponents deflection spell. That alone is a feat by itself."

"Thanks for that Jura. It means a lot coming from you, but I wouldn't call it intriguing more than I would lucky." He sweatdropped in response. "Anyways, what's the problem I can help you with?"

"Yes, I understand you have been rather busy as of lately, but have you had the chance to accept any quests this past month? If so, have you noticed anything... unusual on them."

"Well of course I've been on quests. How else am I supposed to make money for Fairy Tail?" Natsu joked before continuing. "Seriously though, what do you mean by unusual?"

Master Ooba then threatened Jura. "Stop being vague with the boy before I spin you!"

Jura didn't take this threat seriously and continued. "Have you noticed any patterns in the quest objectives by any chance? Do any of the quests you have accepted seem similar to you?"

Natsu scratched his head. "I've taken a few S-Class quests, but I haven't seen anything unusual on them. Plus, my guild mates have been so involved with training that they only take quests to earn enough jewels to live off of, so they haven't seen anything that looks out of order either."

Jura then began to inform Natsu. "That would explain why you haven't noticed any patterns with the job requests. You see, these quests are available for any mage to partake in, so they aren't S-Class quests."

"Not trying to sound rude or anything, but if they're not S-Class, then what's the problem?"

"While the four of us agreed that there is no immediate direct threat, it's very rare for patterns to repeatedly appear in quests- no matter what the difficulty."

"So what types of patterns are you talking about?"

"Show the kid." Master Goldmine interrupted Jura to instruct him.

Jura nodded before continuing. "Take a look at these." He stated while taking two fliers out of his kimono. The one he held in his left hand displayed a crime scene of a warehouse robbery. The one in his right hand displayed a similar crime scene where a large retailer was being looted during the night.

Natsu examined them for a few seconds and shrugged. "So what's the pattern other than both places being robbed?"

"In both scenarios, the item being stolen were Lacrimas. The strange thing is that the Lacrimas weren't expensive by any means because they had no magical properties in them. Their only use is to store and harvest magical potential which can then be sold to mages. Even then, it takes a considerable amount of time and magical potential to be able to see any foreseeable benefit from this so it does not make much sense why someone would want to steal them. The most disturbing thing is that they're being stolen in bulk, so it's very well possible that the person behind these crimes has a plan to use them. We just need to know the why."

"Has this been brought up with the Magic Council?" Natsu questioned while raising his eyebrow.

Another one of the mages responded. "I'm afraid not my dear." Master Bob frowned. "They wouldn't listen to something as trivial as this until it becomes an immediate threat."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Master Goldmine was the first to reassure Natsu. "Take it easy kid. You've been through a lot lately considering your closest friends vanished a month ago. You should first worry about Fairy Tail because Master Makarov isn't here with us anymore." He finished with a sad sigh.

Natsu sighed before responding. "You're not lying when you say that. It would be hard for me to dedicate time to all of this news. The rest of my Nakama need to first make sure we don't file for bankruptcy. Everything I said in that speech was true. When I get some more S-Class mages somewhere in the next two years, I'll be glad to recommend them to help you out. Let's just hope it doesn't take that long to get to the bottom of why someone is committing these crimes."

Master Goldmine gave him a thumbs up before continuing. "Feel free to take your time. We'll do everything to investigate into the situation further. If we could make a suggestion, just be ready for anything unexpected."

Natsu chuckled at this. "Usually I like the unexpected, but what do you need me to prepare for?'

Jura began to inform Natsu again. "Do you remember a couple of months ago when the other legal guilds formed that Magical Alliance with us in order to stop Nirvana and the Oracion Seis?"

"You mean where we formed that team and saved the ruins of the Cait Shelter guild? Hell yeah I remember that! It was so cool seeing so many strong mages in one place."

Jura smiled at this complement and continued. "Precisely. Despite our efforts being a success, forming temporary alliances with other guild is actually illegal by the Magic Council. Hopefully this Magic Collation we are partaking in can help them realize that revoking that law could benefit Fiore for the better considering this is the purpose of the event. The four of us were hoping that if enough people support the event today, the Magic Council might actually want to get involved with guild matters more. You can probably guess where this is going now, but since the Magic Council liked how effective our alliance was at stopping Nirvana, hopefully today will be the selling point encouraging cooperation between guild more."

Natsu interrupted before Jura could continue. "So you're hoping to create another Magical Alliance?"

Jura hesitated for a few seconds then began to speak. "That might be the case, but we're not trying to make promises. As you said earlier, we rather it not come down to having to form another alliance. However, if the problem doesn't end up sorting itself out, we might just have to resort to that. Keep in mind that this is all pure speculation. Even if this were to happen, it would be years in the future. We first need to monitor these quests and see what they plan on doing with those Lacrima. I know you have so much on your mind right now, but just know the possible risk involved with the future."

Natsu rubbed his head before responding. "That's a lot to remember, but consider me apart of your team!"

Master Ooba then began to curse. "You're damn right it's a lot! Now you'd better not just run off and start telling all your guild mates. You hear me?"

Master Bob sighed before speaking again. "As brash as Master Ooba sounds, please keep this between us Master Natsu. This isn't confidential by any means, but we just don't need rumors to start spreading around Fiore. If this situation is bigger than it is made out to be, we at least have some element of surprise over our enemy."

Natsu seriously nodded in response. "I gotcha. Like I said before, I still have to make sure my guild mates can support Fairy Tail after our revenue runs out in two years. That's why I was hoping to get some S-Class mages by that time to help my guild generate revenue. No offense, but that's kind of my priority right now. That doesn't mean that I can't help you guys in the mean time. Until I get more experienced mages to help you more directly by taking these quests, I'll still keep a sharp eye out for you guys and let you know if I found anything that can help us."

Jura skeptically looked around the back path that they were crammed in to make sure no one was eavesdropping before speaking. "The four of us agreed to not see each other in the same place for some time again. We can use the Magic Coalition as an excuse for why we're here, but unless it's a required meeting by the Magic Council, we'll only attract suspicion to ourselves by being together. If we want to contact each other for any reason, only do so through Lacrima projections after our respective guilds have closed for the night. This should be done somewhere in a 30 minute window after said closing times."

Natsu shivered. "Geez Jura. I thought you were hoping that it wouldn't take these next two years or for this to even get that serious."

"That is how one must have the mind of being an S-Class mage. You can never be too careful for not only yourself, but the lives of the ones you love. We've risked so much time and effort being there for them and giving them attention. We can't afford to be the reason for anything happening to them. Especially since we don't know how capable this culprit behind the robberies is." Jura confidently spoke.

Master Bob chuckled before responding. "Jura's just being serious honey. Just remember that your speech made us realize is that giving attention to our friendships, we can hopefully get to the bottom of all this speculation together: as a team. Feel free to inform your next S-Class mages about what we discussed if it comes down to it. Just make sure you can trust them not to tell anyone else about this conversation. You also don't need to be afraid to visit any one of our guild for advice or even a drink or two. We just need to avoid being spot together as often as possible. We said it like three different times before, this problem doesn't end up improving itself, we'll definitely notify you."

Master Goldmine nodded in approval. "I think that about sums everything up. Thanks for listening to us Master Natsu. As much as we would all love to catch up more, you should get back to the rest of your guild mates. We don't want them to start worrying or getting suspicious. Jura, Master Bob, Master Ooba, and I will leave at different times after you just in case it started to die down out there and people are trying to look for us."

Natsu gave them a thumbs up. "You're probably right. Thanks again guys for catching me up with everything. Let's hope we're able to get to the bottom of these robberies and say hi to all your guild members for me!" He beamed before taking his leave. With that, Natsu rounded the corner of the booth and made his way to the front where he noticed that the battleground was cleared because most of the independent mages were already accompanying their guilds of choice.

Master Goldmine was right, it looked as though many of the independent mages were starting to wonder where Jura and the other Guild Masters were. Natsu ignored this and diverted his attention to the front of Fairy Tail's booth where he noticed two female mages sitting on the ground together. The one on the left was Sayuki and the one on the right was Kagura. All the Fairy Tail mages were eagerly surrounding them in hopes of getting the chance to introduce one another to the two girls.

Natsu began to break apart the circle of guild mates so he could give Sayuki and Kagura some room to breathe. "C'mon guys! The day is still young. You'll have the rest of the afternoon to meet them!"

The duo let out a sigh of relief. Before the two could greet the Guild Master, Macao patted Natsu's back in response. "Hey man! You never told us that the two members planning on joining were your biggest fan and strongest opponent!" This caused Kagura to confidently nod while Sayuki hid her face in embarrassment for being put on the spot. "While you were gone, Kinana, Jet, and Droy laid out refreshments for us. So feel free to help yourselves to the lemonade and cake back at the booth." Macao finished.

Natsu smiled towards the two female mages before speaking to Macao. "You all should know what that I care about more than food, and that's getting to meet new guild members! Eating can wait for all I care, what matters is that all the other mages that are going to accompany Fairy Tail have already eaten something."

Kagura and Sayuki held up their plates of cake while Macao spoke. "Yup, Kagura and Sayuki already ate while you were gone."

"I'm not dumb Macao. I can see there plates in their hands… I'm talking about the other mages who are interested in accompanying Fairy Tail.""

"Yeah… Kagura and Sayuki already got cake. Were you expecting anyone else or something?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? You're telling me that they're the only two joining!"

"Hey, they aren't the only two that are joining… They're the two that ALREADY joined." Macao grumbled.

Sayuki shoved her plate towards the trash can and smiled up towards him from her position. "You know that there was only one option in the end. I was definitely going to join Fairy Tail no matter what!" She responded. She showed Natsu her Fairy Tail Guild Mark the same color and on the same shoulder as Natsu's.

Kagura also shoved her plate towards the trash can and stood up to make eye contact with Natsu. She held up Archenemy towards him and showed him her metallic chain fastened to the Katana's handguard. Right next to the engraving that read "Archenemy" was a beautifully sketched Fairy Tail insignia that was shaded in purple. Natsu knew only one mage could draw this beautifully and snapped his head towards Reedus.

Reedus cowered behind Macao and spoke. "Please pardon me if it upsets you. She… I mean Kagura wanted her Guild Mark to go on her sword. Even though your Guild Mark usually goes on your body, I thought it was a rather intriguing idea and decided to do it anyways."

Natsu chuckled and responded. "Give yourself some credit Reedus! Who knows, maybe this will become a new fashion trend among the new mages here."

"Thuh- Thank you Master Natsu."

Natsu then faced Macao again. "Sorry if I was yelled a bit too loud Old Man. I was just thinking that there would be more mages interested in our guild at our booth." He then blushed deeply towards the two girls standing in front of him. "No offense Kagura and Sayuki, but we just spent some time preparing for a lot of new mages to be here with us today."

Sayuki shook her head apologetically. "I totally get it. You are the number one guild, but the thing is, what if that jerk I was hanging out yesterday was right?"

This left all the other Fairy Tail makes, except Natsu, puzzled. Bisca was the first to ask the question plaguing them. "What jerk are you talking about Sayuki?"

Natsu promptly responded. "It doesn't matter who we're talking about, it's just that what if Fairy Tail isn't the number one guild anymore? What if our Nakama that vanished on our S-Class exam were the only reason we gained popularity? That's how I met Sayuki in the first place. She was trying to defend us from some guys trash talking our guild hall."

Romeo immediately lost his temper next to his father. "THAT'S SO STUPID! WE'VE GOTTA BE THE NUMBER ONE GUILD BECAUSE WE'RE DOING BETTER THEN EVER SINCE MASTER NATSU'S OUR NEW GUILD MASTER!"

"ROMEO!" Macao scolded which caused the young boy to calm down. "That's enough, this is why we're partially here. We're trying to improve our popularity."

Natsu sweatdropped at the boy's antics. "Anyways, that's just something to think about. It doesn't really concern me anymore because all I care about now is making sure our guild can stay open in the future."

This caused all the Fairy Tail members to smile. Right when Max, Warren, and all the other male mages of Fairy Tail were about to start hitting on Kagura and Sayuki now that they had joined the guild, they were interrupted by Gran Doma striding back to the podium on stage. Most of them muttered in annoyance while the elderly man began to speak to the crowds.

" **Ahem** … I see that the entire battleground has been cleared, so I assume that all our independent mages have found a guild to follow for the rest of the event?" The bright smiles coming from the crowds signaled for Gran Doma to continue. "If that's the case, the Guild Masters may now utilize the portion of battleground outside their booths to share battle techniques with the mages accompanying their guilds. Feel free to take turns practicing magic with one another all the while learning to become better mages for the next three hours." The elderly man bowed slightly before stepping off the stage to observe the training session.

None of the Guild Masters wasted any time. They all lead their guilds out of their booths and onto the portion of the battleground marked for them to use. Natsu then began to instruct Kagura and Sayuki on their daily training session which earned two completely different reactions.

Kagura remained completely unfazed. Sayuki, on the other hand, left her mouth completely agape. "That's not even human! How are you guys still alive after all that training?"

Max sarcastically muttered in response. "Believe me, I ask myself that question every morning. The things I do for keeping our guild's title."

Natsu chuckled and slung his arm around Max's neck. "HAH. You mean the things WE do for this guild." He then directed his attention back towards Sayuki and Kagura. "How about you two begin laps around our portion of the field? After that, you can spar with Bisca and Alzack over here once you've got a hang of what we do every day."

"You mean right now?!" Sayuki whimpered.

"I don't see a better time to begin. You heard Gran Doma." Natsu smiled at her.

Kagura grabbed Sayuki's arm against the brown haired girl's will and began dragging her around the small field. She childishly fought against her grip until she gave in and began a light jog with her. This was followed by all the other Fairy Tail members joining in hoping that the men would get some chance to flirt with them.

Macao stayed behind with Natsu to talk to him for a few more minutes before they planned on joining the rest of their guild. "I've never seen our guys so eager to begin training before. I don't know whether I should be happy or cry my little eyes out because those two ladies are too young for me. When I thought Sayuki ran on stage yesterday, we all thought she was just a friend of yours and didn't think much of it. The guys definitely can't wait to know her better now that she joined Fairy Tail."

"Oi Old Man? You're like 40 years younger than. You'd better not be creepy like Gramps was. He used to say the exact same thing about Lucy!" Natsu pouted towards his advisor.

"C'mon Master Natsu! I'm only 36 for crying out loud! Plus, you seem to be doing just fine for yourself since you got Kagura to join. She's the last person I would have expected, so she's obviously has something… Or someone on her mind that we have to offer." Macao grinned while jokingly nudging his superior.

Natsu ignored the teasing since he learned enough of it from Bisca already. He instead changed the topic. "We'll just see when the time comes. Whatever we have to offer is for her to decide, and none of us can decide that path. Did Kagura mention why she wanted to join Fairy Tail? If she didn't tell you, I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you either."

Macao sighed in response. "She told us everything including why she created Archenemy. It's so sad that her own brother passed away and that she's joining Fairy Tail in hopes that it can help her overcome his death." A short silence fell between them before Macao changed the subject further. "Anyways, you might be right Master Natsu."

"About?"

"Everything that's happened to us so far… What if what Sayuki suggested is right? Do you really think that we're not the number one guild anymore? Is that really the path that we have to live with?"

"In all honestly, I don't even know the answer to that. If we were still the number one guild, we would have more mages wanting to accompany us for the rest of the day. But let's say we weren't, which is probably the case right now because we're still working on training stronger mages, there might be something in the future we could use to boost our reputation."

"Oh, let's hear it then." His advisor pressed.

"I can't tell you." Natsu smirked. "It has to do with the conversation I had with the other Guild Masters. If the Magic Coalition doesn't end up boosting our reputation, the thing I talked to the Guild Masters about might be a good start. The training we've been doing for the Magic Coalition and to acquire more S-Class mages will help us with that, but only if the thing we talked about ends up happening. Our future seem to be lining up perfectly for Fairy Tail."

"No kidding. All we have to hope is that we impress Gran Doma with the Magic Coalition so we keep you as Guild Master. From there, we train and introduce Sayuki and Kagura to Fairy Tail. After that, you'll have to tell me about how your conversation with the Guild Masters relates to making sure we can actually get revenue in the future. I mean, how will that also help Fairy Tail improve our reputation seeing as it needs work like you said? We seem to be getting lucky because one problem relates to another right from the beginning."

"Seriously Macao, don't worry about my conversation with the Guild Masters. I'll tell you everything they told me if the time even comes. Right now, we need to make sure that we can support ourselves in two years when our revenue officially runs out. Hopefully our training can actually warrant me appointing S-Class mages if it pays off."

Macao chuckled. "Very funny. I think we can all agree who the next S-Class mage is going to be." He finished by eyeing Kagura who was running with the rest of their Nakama.

Natsu also eyed her closely. For the first time ever, he was able to fully analyze her from afar since their relationship was much less tense now. Kagura had long, purple hair that caressed her back and was cut "Japanese Princess Style." Even though her outfit was an elaborate blazer, this wasn't the thing that Natsu could first identify. It was those relaxed, emotionless hazel eyes that represented her personality.

He then shook his head which snapped him from his trance before speaking to Macao. "If you're talking about Kagura, I don't think she's going to be an S-Class mage any time soon."

"What?! You're already know so much about her since you two are extremely close! Don't you think she's strong enough to handle the challenge?"

"She's too emotionally unstable since what happened to Simon. Don't forget, strength isn't the only requirement for being an S-Class mage. Gramps taught me that lesson all too well when I injured my leg."

Macao skeptically looked at him. "Master Makarov taught you a bunch of things. That doesn't mean you would necessarily follow them." He finished by chuckling.

"I would if it meant that we stay a family for another day." Natsu finished by smiling.

"That's what I like to hear… So now what? Wanna join them?" Macao gestured to where the rest of Fairy Tail began sparring.

"You know I can't resist a good days training." Natsu then began to grab the attention of all his Nakama. "YOU ALL BETTER MAKE ROOM FOR ME!"

" **AYE SIR!"** They all chanted in response before the two fire mages joined them.

* * *

"Alright Sayuki! Show me what you've got!" Natsu shouted at her from across their part of the battleground.

"If you say so Natsu. But I'm still not nearly as strong as you are though." She sighed before using her spell. " **Fire-Make: Spear!"** She chanted. A red magic circle in her hands formed a sharp projectile which she hurled towards Natsu.

Without giving it any thought, Natsu caught the spear in mid air with his hand before tossing it into his mouth. Sayuki could only watch and groan in distress. "Why am I even fighting you in the first place! It's impossible to beat you when you can eat all my attacks."

Natsu chuckled at Sayuki's attitude which caused her to fume. While her Guild Master was looking away from her to survey what the other guilds were doing, she comically reached for the trash can across from her to take a piece of uneaten cake from it. While Natsu continued looking away, Sayuki tossed the plate of cake towards him. The cake splattered on his cheek slightly which caused all the Fairy Tail mages who were spectating to burst out in laughter. Even Kagura couldn't hold back a small shuckle.

Macao was the first to stutter in response. "Uh- Oh man! Beneath all that pretty skin is a feisty one, eh Master Natsu? She'll fit in perfect with Fairy Tail."

"What the hell was that for!" Natsu whimpered while ignoring Macao and rubbing his head in slight pain. He then transferred his magic to his cheek which burnt off the excess cake. Sayuki stood across the field, crossed her arms, turned her head away, and pouted. This cause Natsu to groan before speaking. "Now what's up with that face of yours? You didn't even let me speak! It's true that you can't physically harm me with your attacks, but I just wanted to see how powerful your attacks were. Your flames are honestly probably the best I've ever tasted which means you have tons of magical potential."

This complement caused Macao to huff since he was a fire mage also.

Sayuki reluctantly looked back towards Natsu before scoffing. "Why doesn't Kagura have to spar with us? I'm not the only new guild member you know."

"Considering what happened to me in our dual yesterday, I rather not battle Master Natsu at full power again." Kagura sarcastically replied from the booth.

Natsu nudged his head toward Kagura before speaking. "As modest as Kagura's being, she's right. You're the only new guild member who I haven't got a chance to battle yet. I didn't think you would have already forgotten about yesterday. I mean, you were probably the one who enjoyed our dual the most!"

"Well I'm definitely not enjoying it right now!" Sayuki retorted.

"Quit your whining. We've got a little more then an hour before the Magic Coalition is finally over."

Sayuki rolled her eyes her eyes. "Is that so? Then what do we do 'great Guild Master?'"

"Then we get to party at the guild hall… That's if if you give positive feedback about the Magic Coalition."

"Well… I can't argue with that. Let's just get this over with."

For the next few hours, all the guilds at the Magic Coalition continued to follow the instructions given by Gran Doma. They continued to train, teach independent mages about magic, and eventually the independent mages used whatever they learned from their accompanied guilds in combat throughout the battleground similar to how Natsu was doing now. Even the rest of Fairy Tail was having the time of their lives. Ever since the Tenrou Group vanished, none of Natsu's Nakama could remember a more enjoyable time being together. They almost forgot that Natsu's title as Guild Master hanged in the hands of the independent mages.

* * *

The sun was setting in the distance of Magnolia town behind the Fairy Tail Guild hall. Silence fell upon Magnolia South Gate Park while an elderly man made his way up onto a stage at the rear of the park. In front of him stood hundreds of mages who were all equally sad at the change in events.

"I assume most of you by now are interested in how you will provide feedback for the event?" Gran Doma spoke from his podium. The silent stares from across the battleground encouraged the elderly man to continue. "In a few minutes, you will all see a magical projection appear in front of you. There's only three questions on the projection and said questions only requires a yes or no response. However, the questions you will be presented with are rather elaborate and includes a short summary of what has happened over the course of the event, so I encourage you all to read it thoroughly and decide on a response from there." He finished before leaving the stage.

A light blue magical projection then appeared in front of all the mages present at the Magical Coalition except the members of Fairy Tail. If anyone started to grow skeptical as to why they weren't participating, Gran Doma was ready to say that it was so voter bias wouldn't be present in the short survey: although Fairy Tail and him knew the true reason they weren't participating.

Sayuki and Kagura were standing on the sidelines with Fairy Tail, and as the two expected, a magical projection appeared in front of them with a question out loud. All the Fairy Tail members huddled around the two new mages while Natsu began to whisper the question aloud to all his Nakama from Kagura's projection.

"To recap the last two days, the Magic Coalition was suggested to me by Master Natsu of the Fairy Tail Guild hall. As he stated in his speech yesterday, Fairy Tail recently lost their closest and most powerful mages on their annual S-Class exams. Because of this, Fairy Tail is only able to support themselves with the guild revenue that they can currently generate for the next two years. In other words, their revenue will be officially spent by the year X784.

However, Master Natsu feels as though this can be prevented in the future for every guild of Fiore if they follow in his footsteps. After all, what would happen if another guild's top mages vanished? The problems that would arise could be prevented by diverting attention to all our guild mates instead of ones that we prefer: essentially, what you all have been doing over the past two days of the Magic Coalition. The reasoning for him doing this in the first place is so that he can have mages more well equipped to generate Fairy Tail's revenue in the future, which all guilds should strive towards so they don't end up in his situation. That being said:

1) Do you believe that the Magical Coalition represents this transgression? Yes/No

2) Would you like to see more events like this in the future? Yes/No

3) Would you be willing to accept this transgression if it is implemented as a new Guild System? Yes/No

These three questions were picked so that if you answer 'no' to more than one of them, you would in essence not support what the Magic Coalition represents. That means if more than 70 percent of all mages here answer 2/3rds of the survey with 'yes,' the Magic Council will consider Master Natsu's suggestions as apart of a new Guild System for Fiore's future. You have an hour to discuss the survey with your fellow mages before the results are automatically calculated." Natsu finished whispering.

He then backed away slightly and pressed himself up against part of the park's gate and tried to calm his anxiousness. Natsu's most grueling hour of his existence had begun. The rest of the mages attending the Magic Coalition began to discuss with each other their answers to the survey which only made Natsu more anxious.

His uneasy persona went unnoticed by the rest of his Nakama who began to comfort him. "Don't worry Master Natsu. Everyone loved the Magic Coalition. If the independent mages had a fraction of the fun we had, this will go down as the best event on Earthland." Laki nudged his shoulder.

"She's right Master Natsu. You've done everything you could! Even if the Guild System hasn't changed in 400 years, why would people NOT want to support something that can only benefit them? I mean, they should try placing themselves in our shoes before you became Guild Master for once! We've never felt so satisfied before." Wakaba ruffled his hair slightly.

Romeo began to tug at Natsu's arm and began to speak. "Everything was so cool Master Natsu! I just know all the mages are going to love what you said to them."

This caused Natsu to relax slightly and muster a smile. "Thanks guys. "

Sayuki beamed and showed the Fairy Tail mages surrounding Natsu her response. "Guess what…? I finished!

"That didn't take long." Macao smiled while leaning over towards Sayuki. His eyes bulged uopen as he scanned the brown haired girl's answers. "What the hell Sayuki! You answered no to all of the questions! Who's side are you on anyways?"

Sayuki burst out laughing at Macao's response. "Just kidding Macao." She joked while instantly changing her answers. "I loved the Magic Coalition. There's no way in hell I'm answering no to any of these!"

This caused a sigh of relief to usher over all the Fairy Tail mages. The only person who didn't sigh was Kagura because she was much more stoic than the rest of them. She showed the rest of the guild her answers while speaking. "I for one also enjoyed the event along with Sayuki. It allowed me to meet Fairy Tail which will hopefully help me overcome Simon's death."

Bisca nudged Natsu after looking at Kagura's survey. "See Master Natsu? Even Kagura had a fun time. All her answers are yes also."

Kagura had one question on her mind which also bothered Syuki. "However, I must ask... Why is Master Natsu so worried about the survey? He doesn't seem like the type of person who would try to rework Fiore's Guild System. Does the reason it have to do with you guys not getting surveys like the rest of us?"

Bisca chuckled at this response. "Smart and pretty. Right Master Natsu?"

Natsu ignored Bisca's teasing. He sighed in response before putting a hand on Kagura's shoulder. "I'll explain to you everything when the event is done. Now isn't a good time."

Kagura shrugged in response before submitting her survey with Sayuki. Both of their projections vanished and the duo stood while waiting for the results. Fairy Tail spent the next couple of minutes stirring small talk with each other, getting to know Sayuki and Kagura a little more, and admiring the setting sun over Lake Scilliora glistening in the distance. They failed to notice that most of the other mages began to wrap up their surveys.

After a few minutes passed, all the mages present at the Magic Coalition were surprised when another projection appeared in front of them.

Natsu was the first to respond before he even viewed the projection. "What gives? I thought we weren't doing the survey." He questioned in confusion.

Macao began to examine the projection before looking around the battleground. "I don't think it's the survey Master Natsu. Look around, I think all the other mages are just as confused as you are."

After a few seconds, writing began to appear on the projection. This caused Natsu's heart to pick up its pace while he read the projection aloud. "Macao's right. This isn't the survey… These are the results." He finished speaking while freezing in place. Natsu's eyes didn't bother wandering further down the projection to see the results. He was too terrified to do so. Part of him couldn't bear being the reason his Nakama had their family disbanded, so he didn't want to be the one to face the truth.

Macao, on the other hand, immediately began to scan the projection. Every second he spent reading caused his eyes to widen while an awkward smile plastered his face. "Master Natsu?" He whispered.

The uneasiness in his advisor's voice caused Natsu to shut his eyes for the worse. Before Macao could continue speaking, Gran Doma approached the podium again all the while trying to hide his own smile creeping its way on his elderly face. He then began speaking into the mic.

"All mages participating in the Magic Coalition should have a new projection in front of them. This projection has the results of the survey on them since everyone completed it remarkably fast. 78 percent of all mages participating in the Magic Coalition answered yes to 2/3rds or more of the survey questions. Because of this, the Magic Council will highly consider adding the changes Master Natsu suggested into Fiore's Guild System while encouraging guilds to interact with each other in the future to ensure more cooperation throughout Fiore. Please take all the time you need to clear the park. Thank you all for your time, and I hope to see you at the next event hosted."

A thunderous applause ushered across the battlefield. Even the boy that came with Sayuki to the Magic Coalition was clapping at the experience that unfolded from the entrance to the park. The boy turned to where Fairy Tail was standing in the distance, silently nodded with guilt on his face, and weaved his way through the cheering crowds in hopes of finding Master Natsu.

Without a second to waste, all of the Fairy Tail members surrounded Master Natsu and began cheering with the rest of the crowd. They patted him on the back, gave him man hugs, or tried ruffling his hair. They continued this for a few minutes until they heard Sayuki gasp from beside them.

The brown haired girl growled before clenching her fists and muttering. "You've got some nerve coming back here… Eiji." She spat towards the mage standing in front of Fairy Tail.

Natsu peered around his Nakama surrounding him before squinting slightly at the boy who appeared. "Oh, it's just you."

Standing in front of the small group was the same boy Natsu met with Sayuki yesterday. Eiji was the one to speak since he was the one who talked behind Master Natsu's back. "I- I wanted to apologize for trash talking Fairy Tail and the rest of your guild mates behind your back. I didn't think that you would have been the special speaker or that your ideas would have been so good! It was great being able to meet strong mages for once even if I didn't accompany Fairy Tail..."

Most of the Fairy Tail members were confused as to who the boy was. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a light colored shirt, and black sneakers. He had blonde hair and a very lean build.

None of them there knew who the boy was or what he was doing there except Natsu and Sayuki. Most of the members ended up piecing two and two together and assumed the young boy was rude to their Guild Master when they first met, just like Eiji admitted.

Instead of being mad at him, all the Fairy Tail members began to smile as a way of accepting his apology.

Even Kagura managed to muster a smile in front of him before turning to her Guild Master. "It's great to see that other mages support your ideas Master Natsu. Don't forget you still owe me an explanation about the survey." She jokingly nudged.

"So you want to join Fairy tail?" Natsu chuckled towards Kagura before smiling at Eiji.

"I understand if you don't want me to join, but I thought I would at least try since Sayuki joined. My family moved here not too long ago and… Well… She's like my only friend even though I trash talked her favorite guild. I don't want to lose her." He finished with an embarrassing look on his face.

All the Fairy Tail members melted at how the boy cherished their friendship. **"Awwww..."**

Sayuki crossed her arms and pouted before showing Eiji a small smile in acceptance.

The moment of silence was broken by Natsu who noticed Sayuki warming up to him. "Of course you can join then! That's what Fairy Tail is about!"

"Wait… It's that easy? Don't you guys have like a test or something to join?'

"Not at all! Our guild stamp is back at the booth. Let's go back back there and quickly grab our stamp before the crowds start to get too..." Natsu didn't get the chance to continue. Just as he began to separate from his Nakama, his mouth went slack. Not one mage remained in Magnolia South Gate Park. "Wuh- Where the hell did everyone go?" His face went ghostly white.

Macao snorted out loud in response. "Hell, I'm not complaining at all! Less chaos for us. Let's get to our booth so we can make you a guild member." The advisor declared towards Eiji. All the Fairy Tail members including the boy began to walk towards the booth to collect their belongings and guild stamp.

When they entered the booth, Natsu gave a questionable look towards Kinana. "Hey Kinana? Where'd you put the guild stamp again?"

Kinana's shrunk upon hearing this. "I completely forgot about that… There's no more ink for our stamp so I had to throw it away. There's another one at the guild so we can go there for the last hours of the day if you're okay with it."

"Sounds like a great idea Kinana!" Natsu complemented her. "After that, I'll even be able to explain to Kagura, Sayuki, and Eiji why I suggested the Magic Coalition to the Magic Council in the first place." He paused to gesture towards Fairy Tail's three newest mages.

" **AYE SIR!"** Everyone chanted in unison.

Without wasting a second, Macao began to take charge. "C'mon guys! The sooner Eiji becomes a guild member, the sooner we can party again!" He exclaimed while bolting with Romeo out of the park.

All the other Fairy Tail members except Natsu followed. He was too dumbstruck by the sudden change in events that he only began to run after them a few seconds later. "C'mon guys! Wait up for me!" He called out towards the group that was already beginning to fade over the horizon.

He began looking at the rear of the group in front of him stampeding through Magnolia Town's streets which caused him to slow down. He counted everyone in the group but one: he was not able to spot any long purple hair cascading throughout the crowd. "Kagura." Natsu whispered under his breath.

The Guild Master immediately turned around toward Magnolia South Gate Park to see if she was still lingering behind. Instead, his peripherals caught her strolling down the path towards her hotel. "Oh no you don't." Natsu smirked to himself before briskly sneaking up behind her.

He eventually caught up to her half a minute later and grabbed her hand that wasn't holding Archenemy. He then yanked her towards him and started sprinting towards the guild hall with her at breakneck speed.

Kagura yelped in response. "NATSU?! Wuh- Where are you taking me?" She childishly fought against his grip. No matter how hard she tried, she eventually had to follow his lead.

"To Fairy Tail of course! If you're going to join the guild, we've gotta get you caught up with EVERYTHING that's happened to us so far. And weren't you the one who wanted to know about the survey?"

"Yeah, but I still need to check out of my hotel! Plus I need a place to stay for the rest of the night!" She argued.

"First lesson on being on becoming a Fairy Tail member… Do now, then face consequences later. You can always sleep in the guild for the night or in my office when I lock up." He smiled towards her.

Kagura sighed in annoyance and was able to eventually muster an awkward smile at the ridiculous reply she was given. The rest of the Fairy Tail members were well out of the duo's sights by now and they were only left with each other running through the empty streets of Magnolia Town: as if nothing could go wrong.

The setting sun integrated a spectacular orange-red hue across the sky. The warmth of the sun's rhythmic pulse ushered a chilling feeling of warmth over the duo. They occasionally glanced at each other's eyes whilst running only to divert their gazes upon the horizon holding lake Sciliora and the future of Fairy Tail ahead of them.

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** There's Chapter 12 for you! Natsu's slowly becoming more mature over time and is even getting a hint or two as to what Macao and Bisca are suggesting when they tease him about Kagura. This is officially the end of the Magic Coalition arc, and even though there wasn't much fighting, I hope this serves as major plot progression for what's to come. The next arc will hopefully be much more action packed, and I actually referenced it heavily throughout this chapter. See if you can find it!


	13. Chapter 13 - X786

**Author's Note:** Oh boy! Here you guys have it; the first major timeskip and the largest chapter I've uploaded for this Fanfiction so far. The reason I wanted it to be so long is because I wanted to thoroughly set the stage for this timeskip.

First off, I would like to address two of my reviews.

1) A timeskip was suggested by a guest. The timeskip in this chapter was intentional, so it was a mere coincidence that it happened right as this guest posted their review!

2) I haven't forgotten about Kagura's Gravity magic… We'll leave it at that for now (;

I try to respond to any constructive criticism through PMs instead of addressing them in the Fanfiction. So be sure to check your PMs if you left a review!

With that out of the way, thank you again for the immense support you have been showing me. My reviews, favorites, and followers NEVER go unnoticed: I get a phone notification every time someone does one of these actions! In all honesty, I had mixed feelings about some of the stuff I included in this chapter since it gets a bit controversial. I digress, I think you all will enjoy it to its fullest!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 13: X786**

Two men were sitting in a simple office with no lighting but a window behind them. Bookshelves lined the walls off to the side while an elaborate desk was positioned towards the rear. Behind the desk was the window covered by curtains gazing out towards a glistening lake with the sun beating down above it. Despite how calm the interior of the office was, the two men were speaking of something much more serious.

The man behind the desk began to speak to his guest in a dark voice. "Do you understand what I'm asking you to do? There can't be any errors with this. If I knew another way we could get the same outcome in such a short time, I would do it in a heartbeat. I just don't have the time right now to delay this any longer."

The man opposite smirked wickedly before responding. "There's no reason to be so vague. The plan is burned into my head. You came to the right person to get their hands dirty."

The original man nodded in satisfaction before leaning forward. "I'm glad to hear that. For the next few hours, I'm not the compassionate mage you know, so don't be afraid to see how creative you can get with this task of yours. Remember, you're going to poison the girl in order to slowly suck the life out of her. After that, force the other person that will be with her to make a decision: either he gets the chance to leave and no one will know about your two's encounter as long as you mug her, or he dies trying to protect the girl considering how powerful and notorious you are." He nodded while leaning back again.

The man opposite to him questioned. "What's the name of the person that will be with her? Will I remember them from two years ago?"

"His name isn't really relevant, and the chances you've heard of him are low. The man's name is Reedus Jonah. I've instructed him to take the specific path you will be positioned at since he's going to be running a few 'errands' for me. Him and the girl he meets won't know each other, so this should be interesting for us to watch. I'll be off to the building across the channel observing the entire scene unfold."

The guest began to stand up from his seat before speaking. "I have one more question for you… What's in it for me? You can't really expect me to do this considering you were the person to lock me up in the first place."

The man behind the desk leaned in further before confidently speaking. "If you can successfully poison the girl and force Reedus to make a decision, I'll convince Gran Doma to pardon your life sentence. You'll still be under strict supervision by the Magic Council until you can be trusted your full freedom, but that's my offer right now."

The guest who stood up cringed slightly before speaking again. "Can I at least see her one more time? I don't care if you lock me away for life… Just let me speak to her one last time." The man stuttered slightly.

The original man leaning forward loosened his tense composure before sighing. "I'll think about it. Just know that the last thing I need on my hands right now is a mental relapse from her, so the chances are low."

The guest bowed rapidly before speaking. "I'll take anything I can get at this point. You won't be disappointed. I'll make Reedus beg for that girl's mercy." He wickedly smirked before shaking the other man's hand from across the desk. He then regained his composure before leaving the simple office while closing the door behind him.

The original man who was sitting behind his desk stood up and reluctantly opened up the curtains behind him. He allowed the sunlight to pour into the near pitch black room which revealed his identity. The sun's rays caressed his signature pink hair and the man even had a light stubble of same color that he began to sport since he rarely had the time to shave. He couldn't help but also plaster a wicked grin on his face while staring down at a group of mages training in the distance. The man's name was Natsu Dragneel.

Natsu continued scanning his Nakama who were training below the office he was standing in. His black eyes then rested on a rather skinny mage who was talking to a group of friends. Natsu then muttered towards this mage with slight hostility in his voice. "I hope you're ready Reedus." The Guild Master then made his way around his desk and left his office shortly after the other man left in order to position themselves for the ambush they had planned.

* * *

"Hey Reedus? You going to come and help us set up the decorations for Master Natsu since we're all finished with our training for today? I think he just left to go run some errands. I mean, we wouldn't be here without him if he wasn't our Guild Master. No better time to celebrate his anniversary considering he's about to announce some new S-Class mages!" A purple haired man yelled towards him from the rear entrance of the guild hall.

The Pict mage frowned slightly before responding. "I wish I could help Macao, but Natsu's been really busy lately being Guild Master so he wanted me to help him run errands around town. When I'm done visiting the post office, I'll try to get back so I can help you guys finish the decorations."

Macao nodded while smiling. "Take your time! Just be back before he does so we can surprise him. He told me he'll be back before the sun sets, so you have tons of time to run those errands. The rest of us will be waiting for you inside!"

Reedus smiled at Macao while waving. "Oui! I'll see the rest of you guys then!" He yelled before bolting around the guild hall and entering the streets of Magnolia Town.

The Pict mage wasted no time bolting towards the entrance of Magnolia town where the shopping outlets were. The faster he brought back Master Natsu's tax papers from the post office, the more time he would have to party with the rest of his Nakama. He crossed a cobblestone bridge that him from Fairy Tail's court yard towards Kardia Cathedral.

Just as he rounded the Gothic structure looming above him, his ears picked up on uncontrollable sobbing coming from the entrance of an alleyway to the left of the main street he was running on. He immediately stopped running to notice that a young girl was crying at his feet. He reluctantly walked towards the kneeling girl who was sobbing into her legs before speaking. "Wuh- What's wrong?" He compassionately asked the black haired adolescent.

The girl lifted her head from her legs before speaking. "Muh- My father wanted me to go to the store to pick up fresh bread." She paused to hold up the warm loaf lying next to her. "Buh- But the only way to get back home is by going around town or through these alleys. The alleys are a lot faster usually, but they're dark and I don't like going in them because my parents tell me not to if I'm carrying lots of money with me. If- If I'm late my father will yell at me for not being on time for dinner!"

Reedus slowly began to rise from his position and reluctantly gazed back at the long street ahead of him. In the distance he could see the post office he needed to get to. It was only a five minute walk away. He then looked back down to the sobbing girl and the alleyway across from them.

"You don't have to cry. I'm a Fairy Tail mage. I'm running really important errands right now, but I can help get you home quickly before finishing them." He sighed slightly while coming to a conclusion. Right now, this girl mattered more then being late for some party, even if it was his Guild Master's. He finished by rolling up his vest to show his guild mark on the upper part of his forearm to prove he was a Fairy Tail mage.

The girl giggled in happiness before cheering up. "That's so cool! My parents talk about your guild sometimes. Thank you for helping me out." She stood up, picked up her bread, and hugged the man's lower body.

Reedus couldn't help but gush before speaking to her. "Pardon, but we should probably get going now so you're not late. Remember to stay close to me. I don't want you to get lost in the alleys, otherwise you'll never get home!" He teased before the girl stood up. They nodded to each other before walking into the seemingly lightness abyss in front of them.

A couple seconds into their trek, Reedus began to start a conversation with the young girl. "Pardon me, but what's your name young lady?" He spoke while guiding her through a maze of trash cans.

Even though Reedus could barely see her, the girl beamed upwards and smiled. "My name's Mako. Sorry about being a crybaby earlier, but I'm a really big girl! I'm already 10 years old!" She confidently stated while beginning to march slightly.

"Oui! You definitely are a big girl! You wanted me to help take you home through these alleys when I'm to afraid to even stare at them." The Pict mage half joked towards the black haired girl. "Your parents wouldn't that you're walking through dark alleys as long as you're with a friend, would they?" He cautiously asked.

Mako crossed her arms and pouted. "They keep telling me to never walk through them no matter who I'm with. I think they're just a bunch of dummies! That's why I wanted you to come with me. I wanted to show them that it's safe as long as you have someone with you! I mean, we're walking through them and nothings happening to-" Before Reedus could begin lead them out of the alleys because Mako mentioned how dangerous they could be, a cloaked man leapt from one of the rooftops directly behind the duo him and hurled his body towards the young girl.

The cloaked man broke his fall with a roll and grabbed Mako from behind while resurfacing from his jump. The man pried the girl's neck upwards which exposed its rhythmic pulse to Reedus's back. The girl attempted to scream but was silenced by the man forcing his hand over her mouth.

The man who ambushed Mako then positioned himself and his hostage so a small ray of light shone on his face revealing his identity. Reedus immediately whipped around to see why Mako was emitting muffled screams. His eyes quickly rested upon a man wearing a white cloak with maroon colored hair with a demented smirk on his face.

Redus's first instinct was to attack the man holding Mako as hostage, but as he inspected the attacker more thoroughly, Reedus's eyes began to widen when he realized who the man was.

The cloaked figure then began to chuckle when he saw Reedus widen his eyes. "What's wrong? I thought Fairy Tail mages were supposed to protect their Nakama? Isn't it about time you helped little Mako out… Reedus Jonah?" The man finished by sneering the Pict mages name.

This caused Reedus to shiver and take a step back. "Huh- How do you know my name?" He stupidly questioned.

"You should know damn well the answer to that question considering what your Guild Master did to me. I'm simply repaying the favor to that pink haired idiot." The man sneered. He took a pair of broken handcuffs from his cloak using his free hand and tossed it towards Reedus a couple feet away.

Reedus gazed at the broken handcuffs before he coldly replied. "How could I forget someone who attacked my Nakama two years ago. I knew who you were the second I saw your hair. Your name is Cobra. Master Natsu told me all about you. Just tell me what you want and you can have it, but leave Mako alone!" He snapped while stepping toward the duo.

Cobra reflexively used his free hand to channel his Poison Dragon Slayer magic into a sharp dagger that formed in his grasp. He made an extremely small cut into Mako's neck using the blood colored dagger causing the small girl to shed tears slightly while muffling even more into Cobra's hand. Reedus could only flinch at not being able to help.

Cobra then began to coldly speak after the poison from his dagger entered the adolescent's blood stream. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Take a step closer and I'll kill little Mako on the spot. Let me start by saying why I'm doing this in the first place. You can decide the outcome once I'm done explaining myself."

Reedus could only tremble in fear for the girl's life before meekly stuttering. "Just please… Don't kill her."

"Stay wear you are and that won't be the case… Yet. Here's what's going to happen. I couldn't help but overhear that this girl had lots of money on her because she was running to buy bread for her daddy: all thanks to my enhanced sound magic I received from sacrificing my right eye." The dagger in Cobra's hand vanished and he sneaked his free fingers into the adolescents pocket and pulled out a bulging stack of Jewels and flaunted it toward Reedus. "HAH! With this kind of money, I'll be able to bail myself out of jail and start myself a new life! No wonder her parents didn't want her coming into these alleyways."

Reedus began to grow desperate now that Cobra finished mugging the young girl. He knew what would have to happen next. "You've got her money… Now just her alone!"

Cobra sighed in annoyance before proceeding. "I thought you would have realized by now that isn't going to be the case. You see, I learned in my two years in jail why half the people there are handcuffed to their beds 24/7. It's because they made the mistake of leaving witnesses alive. When I cut Mako using my poison, that was the same magic I used to poison Erza Scarlet. I'd say little Mako has a few more hours before she meets the grim reaper."

"No… You're joking!"

"If that's the case, then she wouldn't be turning pale by the second." Cobra nudged to gesture towards her whitening face. "Of course, just like any Dragon Slayer spell, it'll be canceled once the caster can no longer able to support it. That's if you're able to even fathom beating me in a one on one duel. Might I add that is a feat even your Guild Master had trouble accomplishing back during Nirvana's resurrection? What I'm trying to say is that I can trust you to keep your mouth shut, but not little Mako. For all I know, the minute I even release my hand from her mouth she'll run off into the streets of Magnolia Town. The same scenario applies to you, but I'm on the assumption that you wouldn't be dumb enough to do so. Remember, I tracked the two of you down before. It would hardly be an effort doing it twice if you were to speak of this to anyone else."

Reedus began to panic now. "Please just allow Mako to speak so she can explain to you that she won't speak a word of what happened."

"Can't do that. For all I know, she'll scream so loud that the King of Fiore will hear us from Crocus. The only reason I'm trying not to kill her on the spot is so you can make a rational decision. If I were to kill her beforehand, who knows how you would have acted. I'm giving you the option to run away from this. If I killed her on the spot and you went berserk like most of your other buddies do, then that would defeat the purpose of others not knowing my identity."

Reedus cringed as he realized the outcome that had to happen. "So all I have to do is leave and act like I didn't see you mug Mako... aAnd she eventually dies of poison. That way, you won't have to kill me as long as you escape with the money in your hands and I don't tell another soul?"

"Or you die trying to protect this worthless girl. The decision's yours, but either way, I'm leaving with a sack of Jewels and my freedom. The reason I'm not trying to kill you is because that risk would outweigh the chance that you would tell someone. The last thing I need is anyone else seeing my face, and I certainly don't need any attention to be drawn to us from a duel."

Reedus smiled in relief before looking Cobra in the eye and speaking. "Oui. If that's the case, then I think the answer is quite obvious."

Mako saw Reedus relax his composure which allowed tears to streak uncontrollably down her cheeks. She couldn't believe a Fairy Tail mage was going to let her die to the hands of a criminal without even putting up a fight.

Reedus nodded while turning his back to the duo. He then cautiously strolled towards the entrance to the alley while making sure no one was watching what went down. This caused Cobra to lower his tense grip out of utter shock. He couldn't believe that even Reedus of all people was about to give up that easily no matter how shy of a mage he could be.

Cobra was about to release his grip from Mako. Out of nowhere though, his concentration was broken by a shadow that leapt into the alley from behind him. The shadow darted straight towards Cobra and swept right beneath the Dragon Slayer's legs which caused him to release Mako from his grip. The figure knocked him over onto his bottom and the Dragon Slayer reflexively roared out of confusion and embarrassment.

The figure then nudged Mako's rear causing her to fall back onto its back. Mako clutched whatever she landed on for dear life, opened her eyes, and gasped aloud when she realized what saved her. She was resting on top of a purple colored boar.

Mako grasped the boar even tighter before it bolted back to the side of the alleyway Reedus was about exit. The Pict mage smirked when he heard the animal charging towards him. The boar carried Mako behind where Reedus was standing for protection. This caused him to turn around and face Cobra who was left on his bottom in utter rage.

Reedus coolly began to speak while staring straight at the ground. "You obviously know a lot about me since you were able to track me down. In fact, you might have even assumed in the past that I'm not brave enough to stand up to you. PARDON ME, BUT I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW WRONG YOU TRULY ARE." He paused to show Cobra his stomach. Plastered upon his vest was a boar that he secretly drew while his back was turned to the Dragon Slayer.

Cobra was left completely dumbfounded. He snapped out of his dazed state and bolted back to his feet. He wickedly smirked before speaking. "Fairy Tail mages are supposed to be smart, not foolish. I thought I explained to you already that little Mako will be dead in a couple of hours, and there's nothing you can do to stop it considering you're nowhere near strong enough to beat me in a duel. Why do you think I planned everything out the way I did? You should've grown a brain and left while you had the chance, because now I'm going to enjoy killing you both since you proved to me you've already made up your mind!" He maniacally spat.

"It doesn't matter if I'm strong enough to beat you in a duel or save Mako for that matter, because by your logic, she's going to die either way unless I try to help her!" He retorted while drawing something on his vest again.

"Is that so? Do you really value this girl's life over your own even after I gave you the chance to leave?" He roared while bracing his body for the Pict mage's attack.

"If it means there's the slightest chance we live, I'm willing to bet my life on those odds! I'm a Fairy Tail mage, and I'm not scared anymore to stand up for what's right anymore. ANYTHING LESS AND I DON'T DESERVE TO BE CALLED A MAGE!" Reedus yelled while finishing his drawing. He revealed his drawing to his opponent before activating his spell. " _ **Nature, Run Wild!"**_ Reedus chanted. A stampede of boars were projected form his stomach, but instead of charging towards Cobra, the boars shot their tusks towards him. This caught the Dragon Slayer completely off guard because he was expecting a slightly delayed attack.

Cobra had little time to react. He had to use his full concentration to dodge the barrage of tusks being shot at him by leaping in different directions and using evasive tactics. He dodged the remainder of the tusks but was caught off guard by the last boar launching one projectile towards his left eye which didn't have a scar. Instead of having time to evade, all he was able to do was lean backwards and hope the tusk traveled over him.

Cobra arched his back backwards only for the tusk to fly directly over his face. The tip of it grazed his unscarred eye and left a deep cut around the skin. The Dragon Slayer immediately fell to the ground again not expecting the last tusk to be launched at him in the first place. "DAMNIT! THAT WAS MY GOOD EYE!" Cobra roared before staggering to his feet in anger. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" He exclaimed while clutching his injured eye with the palm of his hand. He then used his free arm to activate his own spell to counter. " _ **Poison Dragon's Scales!"**_ He shouted while extending his free arm.

A blood red magic circle formed at the end of his arms fingertips. A large amount of scale shaped poison projectiles were launched towards Reedus. The blood red poison was sent flying towards the tuskless boars that were still in front of the Pict mage. Each poison projectile crashed straight into a colored boar which caused them to vanish in a cloud of dust.

When the cloud settled, Mako was clinging onto her boar behind Reedus in fear. "I'm so scared!" She whimpered towards him.

Reedus turned around to smile at her and spoke. "Don't worry! I'm going to finish this up right now." He declared while refacing his opponent. "This place you chose to battle me is a double edged sword in your case. Even though it supported your ambush, how do you plan on escaping without that snake of yours that Master Natsu told me about? There's only two ways out of this alley."

This caused Cobra to roar in laughter. "Why would I need to escape when I'm going to kill you right here?"

Reedus victoriously smirked and confidently spoke. "No… Not escape this duel of ours… I meant escaping this next attack." He finished by briskly drawing another picture on his vest.

This caused Cobra's smirk to slowly disappear. The Dragon Slayer reluctantly turned around to check his other exit. Standing behind him was a massive stampede of boars ready to charge him. When he turned back around to face Reedus, he saw a slightly smaller amount ready to attack him from the front.

This caused the Pict mage to respond to Cobra's shocked state. "It's over. _**Nature, RUN WILD!**_ " Reedus declared. He extended his dominant arm out in front of him to order the stampede of boars to charge his enemy from both exits.

Cobra had only one chance to lower the attack's strength. He turned around to take care of the exit which had more boars charging towards him. He inhaled deeply while another blood red magic circle formed at his mouth. " _ **Poison Dragon's**_ _ **Roar!"**_ He exhaled while using the remainder of his magic to encase the exit he was facing with a barrage of poison from his mouth. This cause the boars to be consumed in the poison before vanishing into a cloud of dust. He had absolutely no time to react to the boars charging from Reedus's side. All he could do was continue to face his back towards them and brace for the attack.

Just as the boars began to close in on Cobra, another shadowed figure leaped from the adjacent building and planted himself in between Cobra and the boars that were about to strike. The shady man stood up from his position and swiped his arm in front of him. This caused multiple magic circles to form in front of his arm. The orange circles then took aim at an individual boar while the man activated his spell. " _ **Fire Dragon's Explosive Pyre!"**_ This caused the magic circles to launch an individual orb of blistering flames that flew towards the boars at an unfathomable speed. When each orb connected with their target, they exploded into multiple smaller flames that incinerated the boars until they all vanished in a cloud of smoke.

The man cleared his throat and lifted his head into the sunlight. This caused his pink hair to be revealed to Reedus in front of him. He then spoke towards the Pict mage in case Reedus tried to attack him out of confusion. "Reedus? You don't have to continue fighting anymore... That was amazing." The man finished while a smile slowly crept on his face.

This caused Reedus to lower his tense stance when he saw the man speaking towards him. "Muh- Master Natsu? What's going on? Why are you helping Cobra? We first need to defeat him so Mako stops being poisoned!"

Natsu chuckled before speaking. "I'll explain to you everything on the way back to the guild. But first..." He paused to turn around and face the other Dragon Slayer. " **Ahem…** **?** " Natsu pointed towards Mako while staring at Cobra.

Cobra sighed and cursed under his breath. He then strutted towards where Mako was on Reedus's boar. He held up his arm and rubbed the cut on her neck with his free hand. He finished by swiping his hand in the opposite direction. Mako's pale color immediately began to revert to its original hue which caused her to sigh in relief.

The young girl got off the boar which then disappeared in a cloud of smoke and began smiling brightly to the Pict mage. "You did good buddy." Mako spoke in a relaxed tone which confused Reedus.

"Pardon, but how did I do good. You nearly died!"

The young girl was then engulfed in a cloud of blue smoke. When the smoke disappeared, Reedus's mouth went slack when he saw the person standing in her place.

"MACAO?!" The Pict mage exclaimed in utter confusion. "Pardon, but can someone please tell me what's going on!" He yelled in a flustered manner.

Natsu began to explain himself slightly. "Reedus? Macao was disguising himself all along as that little girl. I know it sounds really cruel, but this was all a test to see how much you've improved over the last two years. I think I can safety say that your improvements as a Fairy Tail mage beats any of our other members right now. That's how brave you were when you fought! Just promise me you won't tell Sayuki and Eiji I said that though… They'll kill me especially since Eiji's been getting a lot of attention around Fiore lately."

"What about Cobra?" He worriedly stated while ignoring his Guild Master's joke. He didn't bother asking how Macao was with Master Natsu and Cobra even though he should have been setting up decorations for their Guild Master's anniversary.

"He's still in custody, but I was able to convince Gran Doma to let me borrow him in exchange for a few years off his prison sentence. Consider this as a lesson for our lost one here." The Guild Master paused to speak to Cobra. "Thank you again for helping me. If you take the Eastern exit of town out until you reach Magnolia forest, there's a that path will lead you to an old woman's cottage. I spoke to her and she agreed to get you healed up after your duel. Her name is Porlyusica, and she'll be able to completely mend your eye and might even be able to heal that scar on your other one as another token of my appreciation. Are you feeling good enough to get their on your own? If you are, I'll have a Magic Council representative stop by their to pick you up later."

Cobra nodded in satisfaction before waltzing out of the alley. "And before you even say it… I remember the restrictions. No trying to escape. I still have that Magic Council tracker somewhere inside my body and you'll hunt me down with your senses if I even step off the path."

"Good." Natsu smirked. "And I'll talk to Kinana for you. If she feels like meeting you again, I'll bring her to your cell one day to reintroduce yourself to her."

With that, Cobra continued walking without looking back towards the trio. The only conformation that he heard what Natsu said was that he held his hand into the air as farewell.

The pink haired Dragon Slayer put his hands on both Reedus's and Macao's shoulders before speaking. "I think this deserves a celebration. C'mon! Everyone's probably wondering what's taking us so long to run those 'errands.'" He offered while leading the small group down the cobblestone path to Fairy Tail's Guild hall.

* * *

The trio was now walking through Fairy Tail's courtyard. Even though Natsu explained what happened to Reedus multiple times, the Pict mage still could barely comprehend his encounter with Cobra.

"So you're telling me that everything was set up all along?" Reedus stuttered because he was still dazed at what happened.

"For the third time, yes. Cobra wasn't going to kill Macao. Even if he planned on doing that, I was watching the whole scene unfold. I was ready to stop him if it came down to that. And have some faith in the Old Man! He could have protected himself just fine." Natsu laughed which caused Macao to fume.

"There's only one thing I'm confused about. Why did you do all of this in the first place? Was it some type of training drill that you wanted to test out on me?"

"We wouldn't be celebrating some stupid training drill. We're celebrating how much you've matured as a mage. You'll understand in a minute when I make the announcement to everyone else." Natsu stated while approaching the wooden doors to the guild.

" _What's there to even announce?"_ Reedus groaned to himself in his mind.

Before he got the chance to ask, Natsu began to open the large doors to allow his group to enter the guild hall. He flung them open but was surprised to see the guild hall completely deserted. The tables, bar, and second floor were all completely empty. The young Guild Master reluctantly began to trek into the barren room while Reedus and Macao closed the doors behind them. The moment the doors clicked shut, the atmosphere completely erupted.

" **THANK YOU OR BEING OUR GUILD MASTER!** " The guild hall roared. Even Reedus and Macao were stunned at the sudden change despite knowing about the surprise planned. Guild members stood up from behind the bar counter, jumped from the second floor, and even dropped from the ceiling from their hiding places while they released a flurry of balloons that fell to the ground. Kinana, Bisca, Alzack, and Kagura emerged from the stairs leading to the infirmary with a massive cake in their hands that they placed on the bar's counter.

Sayuki and Eiji held a giant banner that read "Master Natsu" and pinned it to the banister of the second floor they jumped form.

All the other guild members surrounded the entrance to greet their Guild Master after they emerged from their hiding places.

Natsu reluctantly began to uncover his ears while the volume began to die down. He plastered a teary smile on his face and slowly spoke after eyeing all his Nakama in front of him. "You- You guys remembered!"

"Of course we did!" Max exclaimed while walking towards him. He began to lightly shove his Guild Master towards the stage on the opposite side of the guild. "Now go on. Say something to us about the past two years."

Sayuki and Eiji began chanting from their seats that they took at the bar. " **Speech** … **Speech… Speech… Speech!"** They began to repeat as more guild members joined in.

Max lead the slightly embarrassed Guild Master up on the stage. He turned on the mic to allow his Guild Master to reflect over the past two years. The moment the mic began making static noises, everyone turned a deathly quiet because they were expecting their Guild Master to begin speaking. Max hurriedly left the stage to join the rest of his Nakama to hear what Natsu had to say.

Natsu surveyed all his guild members who were looking up at him with bright smiles. He inhaled deeply before speaking with his signature grin on his face. "This day isn't about me. It's about all of us as a family. I might be your Guild Master, but without the rest of you, there's no way in hell we would still be considered a guild. All of you have helped me so much over these past years. From me becoming Guild Master, to all your hard work training to make sure I stayed Guild Master when I suggested that Magic Coalition, to even having to abandon our reckless nature so we don't file for bankruptcy, I all love you individually for those sacrifices." This caused all the members to gush.

Even Kagura who was next to the stage had to look away out of embarrassment to keep her stoic expression. Natsu continued speaking when he noticed the Sword mage look away from him. "That includes you Kagura. No matter how old or new you are as a guild member, I'm proud of everyone here for making sure our family stayed alive all these year. And that includes you because you're learning to overcome Simon's death."

This caused the guild to lightly applaud for one of their newest guild member's accomplishment before Natsu continued. "The thing is, all of us sacrificed time and parts of our lives to this guild hall over these past two years, and those are sacrifices we all had to make. If there was an easier way that would have allowed us to keep our reckless nature so that we could still parade around on jobs like idiots again, would I take it? Honestly, I wouldn't. Because that problem was what inspired me and the rest of us to move past the Tenrou Group's death and take on that ridiculous bet I made with Gran Doma all those years back. Without everything we've done up until this point, we wouldn't be this close to each other. For that reason, I would like to dedicate our guild's future to one of our Nakama who has just recently proven to me that it's not impossible for them to move on from his past: that it's not too late to change. That person has shown all of us that they are no longer the shy individual that they used to be. They showed us how much they matured over these past two years!"

This caused a thunderous applause to rain throughout the guild hall. Many guild members began to murmur with one another about who the individual was going to be. Before their chatter could get out of control, everyone's volume died down when they saw their Guild Master start to speak again.

"Reedus Jonah?" Natsu smiled towards the Pict mage who managed to find a seat at the bar. "Congratulations on being Fairy Tail's newest S-Class mage."

There was no silence whatsoever. Immediately after Natsu made the announcement, the guild roared in approval. All the guild members bolted towards the Pict mage and gave their individual congratulations while Natsu sweatdropped at his Nakama's antics. The only person who was shocked by this announcement was ironically Reedus. All he was capable of doing was standing in place in awe.

Nab ran towards the Pict mage with Vijeeter and both began patting him on the shoulder. "Reedus! You totally deserved to be S-Class mage now that I think about! I thought that Vijeeter and I were going to be the next S-Class mage since we got one of the highest scores on the Magic Power Finder, but that just proves power isn't everything."

Macao nodded in approval next to them and added. "Nab and Vijeeter are right. You seem really surprised, but don't you remember two years back when Laxus went psycho and nearly killed Master Natsu and Gajeel? You barely had the courage to ask Porlyusica to help us out during the battle!" He finished by jokingly punching the Pict mage.

This was followed by all the other mages giving Reedus words of encouragement which boosted his confidence slightly.

"I wasn't done speaking!" Natsu fumed while everyone began to encourage Reedus. It was no use though, no one was paying attention anymore. Instead, many of the guild members began to enjoy divert their attention back to the party by ordering drinks at the bar for Reedus while Kinana began cutting cake for anyone that wanted a slice.

All Natsu could do was meekly sigh. He hopped off the side of the stage and strolled to the bar across from him to have a quick word with Reedus about his decision. Macao and Wakaba were on both sides of the Pict mage encouraging him to accept purchasing ale for him as a congratulations for becoming an S-Class mage.

"C'mon Reedus. We never see you drink at the bar. You deserve it for becoming an S-Class mage." Wakaba encouraged from the right of him.

"Pardon, but I only drink wine." He apologized by pulling out a bottle of wine from his vest. "I got this one as a reward from a mission a while ago. Would you like to share it with me? I wouldn't mind at all. It's supposed to be extremely rare."

Just before Macao and Wakaba could reluctantly accept his offer, Natsu strolled up from behind him and got his attention. "Hey Reedus?" He asked.

Reedus turned around and smiled up at his Guild Master. "Oui! Master Natsu, would you like to try some of my wine. It's the least I could do to repay your kindness and decision."

"You earned this buddy. There's no reason to repay me." He paused to lean into his ear. "The thing is, is there anyway you can stay behind with Kagura after the party ends? It's about you becoming an S-Class mage. I'll explain everything later." The Guild Master whispered to him secretly.

"Oui. It's the least I could do!" Reedus nodded in acceptance before returning his attention to Macao and Wakaba.

Natsu smiled in satisfaction and separated himself from the Pict mage. He then grabbed himself the first slice of cake handed to him by Kinana at the bar. He continued to make his way to the second floor of the guild where he pulled out a chair from one of the tables and sat by the banister so he could monitor the commotion below him while eating his dessert. He kicked his legs up on the rail, leaned back in his chair, and let out a sigh of relaxation.

This went unnoticed by Kagura who was wondering why he wasn't joining the party with her. _"_ _That's odd. Usually Master Natsu enjoys parties even if he told me that Fairy Tail had to change in order to s_ _tay open._ _I wonder i_ _f I should check is he's alright_ _._ _Anyways, this_ _would be_ _the_ _perfect time to give him_ _it_ _..."_ She frowned to herself while fidgeting slightly before shaking her head. _"_ _No! I_ _don't need to be scared. He's done so much for me_ _these past two years_ _,_ _so_ _it's the least I c_ _ould_ _do to thank him._ _That's it, I'_ _m going to give it to him right now!_ _"_ She declared in her mind while gaining the courage to sneak behind the bar. She took out a beautifully wrapped present that was the color of her hair from the bottom shelf and scurried away to the second floor before anyone could ask her what she was doing.

Natsu started to doze off. He completely missed Kagura's antics just a second ago. The Guild Master was too busy thinking about the past two years. Currently, Kagura, Sayuki, and Eiji were all caught up with training and the true status of Fairy Tail. He explained to them why he no longer had the time to venture and find Igneel because of his need to divert attention to ensuring guild stayed open in future. He even told Macao everything about his conversation with the Guild Masters two years ago at the Magic Coalition since he could be trusted.

This is what Natsu was facing right now. The patterns in the quests that he discussed with the other Guild Masters hadn't stopped. In fact, the last time Natsu contacted the Guild Masters a week ago, the problem was getting much worse. Not only were the robberies getting increasingly violent from what they told him, but the situation had turned critical for some reason that they didn't tell him yet. All that the Guild Masters told him was that the Magic Council brought attention to the situation a week ago when they declared the situation critical for the reason he was yet to be informed.

The Guild Masters told Natsu that the Magic Council ordered the formation of another Magical Alliance to take care of the situation. Even though Natsu didn't know the reason for another alliance being formed, he know the situation had to be serious if the Magic Council of all people were ordering an alliance even after stating it was illegal during the Nirvana incident. This is why he needed to appoint Reedus as an S-Class mage. It was time to take action on this situation once and for all by joining this new Magical Alliance.

Before he could continue thinking to himself, Kagura approached reached the second floor and approached his seat from the side. The pink haired Dragon Slayer reluctantly lifted his head to see a purple haired girl towering above him.

Kagura had matured since they first met. Even if it was only two years ago, she grew even more slim since that time. Kagura was only 18, and every guy in Fairy Tail knew that her body was beginning to resemble Mirajane's. All the girls agreed she was pretty, but even the men knew she still had a lot to learn and mature before any of them wanted to commit to something serious with her. Unlike most of the other members of Fairy Tail… She just wasn't there yet like the rest of them because of what happened between her and Simon.

Natsu was still too dense to realize any of this. All he viewed Kagura as was a close friend who he was trying to help in any way possible. Sure, he caught onto the teasing that Bisca and Macao did every so often, but did that have to do with how he felt about her right now? Natsu wanted to help Kagura in any way possible… As much as he hated it, he wanted to help her more than anyone else. _"Why do I want to help her so much over everyone else? She's just my Nakama like any other guild member, but it's like how Bisca acts around Alzack. I know those two are friends with everyone here, but it's almost like they're closer than anyone else. What if I'm viewing Kagura in the same way? Heck, I'm thinking about asking her to come along with me on a mission just to get to know her better-"_

"Shouldn't you be joining the party?" A purple haired girl meekly smiled down at him in his seat. The girl's hands held a purple present within them behind her back.

Natsu snapped himself out of his daze and swapped topics so fast it was inhumane. "Hey Kagura. Sorry for not seeing you sooner. I just have a lot to worry about which is why I'm sitting up here. Plus, if I spent time with one person, I would have to spend time with everyone. I just don't think we have time for that since the night's about to end. Not to mention I'm pretty exhausted after that speech. Its been a long day for me."

Kagura sneakily pulled a seat with her foot and sat in it. "That makes sense. You are our Guild Master after all." Kagura paused to reluctantly gather her thoughts. "Was what you said in your speech true? You know, about how I'm overcoming Simon's death?" She reluctantly asked.

"Of course it was. I see you train every day and help Kinana and Romeo out even though they can't use magic. You're not fully there yet, but I'd say you're off to a good start. Only time will tell if this is what you need all along." Natsu smiled up at her. "I wanted to say more on stage, but I also didn't want to put you on the spot."

"Well... Did you want to say anything more to me that I should know about?"

"Actually, there is. Would you mind staying behind after everyone else leaves the guild? I think I might need your help with something. You might learn a few thing from what I have to offer to you and it'll be a great time for us to spend time together AND you'll be helping other people out. You spend so much time training in order to support our guild that you haven't had the time to socialize more. Plus, I think it's time to see if your hard work pays off."

"Oh? Would it happen to be a mission?" Kagura had a glint of hope in her eyes. If luck was on her side, Natsu would be going with her which meant she could learn hands on experience from being able to help others. Not to mention being around Natsu meant that she could learn more advice on overcoming her brother's death: a trait she learned to love about the Dragon Slayer. He always seemed to bring hope into the darkest of places. The only downside was that the duo was so busy nowadays that they barely had time to see each other even if Natsu was doing everything in his capabilities to give attention to his Nakama. She hoped this would give her a chance to interact with him more.

"You've got it. But it's not just any mission. It's going to be the biggest Mission you might ever go on. So big that I'm going to accompany you on it to make sure everything goes smoothly. I've already packed everything for the journey. The only thing I need now is for you to say yes because we would leave tonight." Natsu made up his mind and asked her while reclining in his chair.

Kagura's eyes widened slightly because she couldn't believe she was finally getting to spend time with her Guild Master. She nodded her head and even mustered an awkward smile. "Of course I'll go!"

" _Yes!"_ Natsu cheered in his mind. Little did they know, both mages were equally excited to finally get the chance to become closer to each other.

A short silence fell between them while Kagura began to breathe deeply in anxiousness. The purple present was still behind her back in her seat. She inhaled deeply one more time. " _Here goes nothing… Please like it."_ She thought to herself. "Master Natsu?" Kagura spoke out loud to get his attention.

This caused Natsu to turn towards her again. "What's up?" He responded while leaning forward in his seat.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me over the past two years. I hope you like it." She sheepishly smiled while extending her hands in front of her to show him the present.

Natsu's eyes widened and a warm smile appeared on his face. "Kagura… I don't know what to say." He teared up while staring at the small, purple wrapped present in front of him.

"Open it." She encouraged while handing him the gift.

Natsu untied the ribbon on top and shelled off the wrapping paper. He opened the black box underneath which revealed the hilt of a sword inside of it. The hilt looked exactly like the image of a dragon found in the middle of one of his magic circles.

Before he could get the chance to ask what it was used for, Kagura answered for him. "I was able to make that sword hilt at Men and Mages around a week ago. Since you're a Dragon Slayer, I thought that it would be special if I made the hilt into the shape of a dragon's head. There's no blade though, because unlike my sword, yours isn't an item. It requires actual magic to use, so it's only as powerful as you are with your Dragon Slayer magic. That means you need to train your own own magic potential and learn swordplay at the same time to officially become a Master Sword Specialist using it. It took me around the same time to create Archenemy, so I really hope you like it." Kagura finished her lecture with slight anxiousness.

Natsu chuckled while wiping his eyes at the thoughtful gift he received. "Kagura... I don't like it... I love it. So I guess that makes you a Master Sword Specialist?"

Kagura warmly smiled and responded. "I can say for certain that Erza Scarlet was a Master Sword Specialist."

"And I can say for certain you would give Erza a run for her money. If you're not a Master Sword Specialist, Erza isn't one either." Natsu complemented which caused Kagura to look away out of embarrassment. He didn't notice this and continued speaking. "But I don't know the first thing about using swords!" He pouted slightly.

"Well..." Kagura said while fidgeting in her lap. "Since you do so much to train me… Maybe I could repay the favor and teach you how to use your sword."

Natsu's eyes glistened and grabbed Kagura's hand. "It's a done deal!" He exclaimed before dropping her hand. He then picked up the hilt from the box and examined it. "So how do you use this thing?"

This snapped Kagura out of her embarrassed trance. She immediately responded with an also curious tone. "I actually have no clue. I was hoping you might have an idea."

Natsu held the hilt of the sword in his right hand and continued to examine it. Without warning Kagura, he forced a large amount of Dragon Slayer magic into his hand which transferred directly into the hilt. The eyes of the dragon's head flared up with fire and a sharp pillar of fire erupted from the sword. This caused both Natsu and Kagura to fall out of their seats which made a harsh thud throughout the guild hall. Both of them were too shocked to even yell because the entire upper floor of the guild began to flicker orange from the fire which didn't go unnoticed by the party below. Natsu then let go of the hilt from his hand which caused the bright light to stop.

"Is everything alright up there!" Macao worriedly called out to the glowing light which began to dissipate. All the guild members stopped their partying to pay attention to whoever Macao was shouting to.

Natsu crawled towards the banister and used it to stand up. "Muh- My bad! Just testing something with my magic! I'll do it outside next time!" He apologized before staggering back towards where Kagura was laying.

Macao just shook his head in response before continuing his conversation with Reedus and Macao. The party slowly began to ease back into its relaxed mood.

Natsu approached Kagura who picked up the sword for him. Surprisingly, the hilt didn't feel warm in the slightest. It almost felt lifeless. When she looked up to her Guild Master who had his hand extended to her, all she could do was plaster a comical grin on her face before completely bursting into laughter because of how white his face was. She eventually was able to accept his grip to stand back on her feet.

"You know, that's probably the first time I've seen you genuinely laugh." Natsu sweatdropped in embarrassment.

Kagura's laughter changed into a confident smirk. "Is that so? Judging from how white your face is, that's probably the first time I've see you scared from your own magic none the less. So I think I have the right to laugh. We can start training with that sword of yours once we finish this mission. I think we can both agree that you'll need it." She finished by smiling sweetly towards her Guild Master.

"Good idea. We should probably get back to the party. I don't think we don't need to cause any more surprises for our guild tonight." Natsu smiled back while releasing the grip on her hand. He put the sword hilt into his coat's pocket with absolutely no intention of using it any time soon: not until his new mentor would get the chance to finally teach him. They then began walking back down to the main floor with each other's company in their minds.

* * *

"Hey Reedus. Did Master Natsu want to talk to you about being an S-Class mage?" A purple haired mage asked while taking a seat next to her guild mate.

"Oui. He wanted me to stay behind so he could explain some stuff to me." He then paused for a moment to show the purple haired mage next to him a bottle he was holding. "What about you Kagura? Would you like to try some of my exotic wine?" He offered by pouring her a clean glass that was stacked on a tray.

"I've never tried wine before. I turned 18 not too long ago." She sheepishly rubbed her head while picking up the blood red liquid offered. "This isn't going to make me zonked… Is it?" She tried to joke.

This caused Reedus to chuckle slightly. "Don't worry, it doesn't work that way. Take a sip, you might like it." He finished while sliding Kagura the glass.

She raised the cup to her lips, swirled it slightly to examine the liquid's consistency, and took a small sip from the brink of the glass. She smacked her lips a couple of times in light succession before squeezing her eyes together and pursing her lips tightly. "It's so bitter!" She shivered in slight disgust before continuing. "I thought it was going to be sweet!"

Reedus sweatdropped. "You like sweet things?"

"I have a HUGE sweet tooth. Simon and me used to bake whenever we saved up enough extra money to afford fresh ingredients. He would always give me his portion even though it took months for us save up enough money to bake a simple cake." She smiled at the nostalgic memories before she was interrupted by a different voice.

"So you also have a sweet tooth? You remind me more and more of Erza every time you say something." Another person spoke. Both Kagura and Reedus turned around to be met with their Guild Master smiling in front of them.

Kagura looked at him in the eye while Reedus was the first to respond. "Master Natsu! Pardon, but have you finished talking to Macao?"

"Yup. He just left the guild" The Guild Master paused to gesture towards the double doors that were closing behind him.

"So what was it did you want to talk to me about? Is it okay if Kagura overhears us?"

Natsu smiled warmly and continued. "She's actually here for the same reason you are. I wanted to first congratulate you personally on becoming an S-Class mage. I meant everything I said during that speech earlier today. You're no longer shy and afraid to stand up as a member of Fairy Tail."

"Thank you Master Natsu." Reedus bowed in his seat.

"That's not the main reason why I asked both of you to be here with me this evening though." He paused to direct his attention to Reedus again. "I wanted to talk to you about going on your first S-Class mission starting right now. I know it's really short notice and because of that I'm not going to force you to accept, but the request is urgent. Kagura and me are already going plus I packed for the three of us, so all I need is a yes from you."

"Oui! Of course I'll accept the quest with you guys. What do we have to do for our client?"

"I'll tell you on the way to Kardia Cathedral. The three of us are going to form another Magic Alliance with the other guilds. It's going to be just like how we stopped Nirvana from destroying the remains of the Cait Shelter guild." Natsu finished while making a beeline for the double doors.

"Pardon, but what about Macao and the rest of our guild mates?" Reedus questioned while him and Kagura caught up with him. The trio exited the guild hall while their Guild Master turned around to lock the doors behind him. He pulled on the handles to ensure they were locked before they entered the dimly lit cobblestone streets of Magnolia Town heading towards Kardia Cathedral.

Natsu finally responded with a shrug. "What about them? I just spoke to Macao a couple minutes ago. He already and knows where we're heading out to. I talked to him more about it a week ago and we both know what we have planned for the guild while I'm gone. If people start asking why we haven't been around the guild, he'll just tell everyone that we're training you to take on S-Class quests so Fairy Tail can make more revenue. There's nothing suspicious about that unless we chose to make it that way. If we work efficiently, it won't take more than a few days to complete this quest."

Kagura started walking by Natsu's side and spoke. "Wouldn't it make sense if we grouped up with the Magical Alliance in the morning?"

"We planned to meet the other guild members at night since no one is using Kardia Cathedral during that time. Not to mention it would look less suspicious then if we just got up from the bar and left during our morning training."

"Oui. You have a point," Reedus chimed in as the group crossed the main bridge leading to the massive Gothic structure looming above them, "So can you tell us more about why another Magical Alliance is being formed?

"The thing is, I don't know the reason for it being formed. But I know what we're trying to accomplish."

Kagura looked at her Guild Master slightly confused and responded. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well… Do you remember the Magic Coalition two years ago? Since I was still brand new at being Guild Master, the other Guild Masters from Lamia Scale, Quatro Cerberus, and Blue Pegasus came up to our booth during the Magic Coalition. They stated that they noticed a pattern in the requests on their Job Boards. When I say patterns, I mean the same type of robbery was being committed where thugs would loot a certain warehouse or department store and steal the same object."

"What was the object?" Kagura curiously asked.

"Lacrimas without any magical properties. The reason this concerned us is because there really isn't a reason to steal something like this in bulk since it takes years to harvest power using them. The rest of the Guild Masters and I assumed the situation would eventually sort itself out and people would eventually take the client requests to find out who was comitting these crimes, but that wasn't the case or we wouldn't be needing to form another Magical Alliance."

"So why would forming a Magical Alliance be a bad thing? It just means that we're trying to get to the bottom of this once and for all." Kagura asked.

"I wish it were that easy, but you can't forget how power hungry some of the Magic Council members are. We've told you about that time two years back when we also had to form a Magical Alliance to take care of Nirvana… Right?" Natsu questioned.

"Yup. You've told me all about your adventures." Kagura smiled.

"The problem with forming that alliance was that the Magic Council declared it as illegal. This wasn't that big of a surprise because of how strict the Chairman is. The only reason we're forming this Magical Alliance is because of two reasons. The first is because the original Magical Alliance was an obvious success and the Magic Council liked the results."

"And the second one?" Kagura worried slightly and the second answer.

"The first reason wouldn't be enough to warrant another Magical Alliance. The second reason would be if something really bad happened this past week that forced the Magic Council to finally take action and form another Magical Alliance. So bad that this is now an S-Class matter."

"That doesn't sound good." Kgura muttered while the group began to round the Cathedral towards its front entrance.

Natsu turned to both of his sides and smiled at his Nakma. "There's no need to worry guys. Since I know the least about everything that's happened so far including not knowing the reason why we're forming another Magical Alliance, the Guild Masters all agreed to make me leader of the team."

"That doesn't make much sense." Kagura deadpanned.

"It's the safest bet when you think about. The rest of the Guild Masters can watch our efforts from back at their guilds while I'm learning hands on about the situation from the other guild members apart of the Magical Alliance. Plus, as modest as they were being, everyone keeps saying that I'm the most powerful out of all of the Guild Masters which is probably another reason they want Fairy Tail to join them. The only other guilds I know who are in the alliance are Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale." Natsu finished while rounding the Cathedral. The small group then gazed at the massive stone and iron gates in front of them.

Reedus noticed Kagura drawing Archenemy's scabbard from her side almost as if it was apart of her initial impression to anyone inside the Cathedral. The Pict mage then began to reassure Kagura. "Don't worry about people not taking you seriously or anything like that. Last time Master Natsu was apart of the Magical Alliance he said there was plenty of time to prove how strong Fairy Tail was."

This caused Kagura to relax her tense state slightly while Natsu began to comfort her. "He's right you know! C'mon, how about we change things up. Would you like to do the honors for us?" The Dragon Slayer finished by gesturing towards the Gothic structure for Kagura to lead them into.

"Absolutely…" Kagura paused before mimicking her Guild Master's toothy grin back towards him. "I'm all fired up now." She finished by opening the large Cathedral which literally opened the path for her next adventure with her guild mates at her side.

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** There we have it! Natsu and Kagura are slowly beginning to grow closer to each other. They aren't anywhere near a relationship, but they're unknowingly beginning to develop feelings that they acknowledged in this chapter. Natsu knows that Kagura is special to him… But will he dismiss her as simply his Nakama? Or will he eventually be able to put two and two together and embrace his true feelings?

Anyways, tried to do something different for this chapter. The first half focused on more of Reedus's perspective while the second half focused more on how Kagura and Natsu interacted with each other instead of just making it a general free for all.

As always, let me know what you think of this chapter! My phone notifies of every review you drop which means I'll eventually respond to them if you have a request. If you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to contact me through said reviews!


	14. Chapter 14 - A New Threat

**Author's Note (IMPORTANT QUESTION):** Here it is, the official introduction to the next arc! I don't anticipate on it carrying past chapter 17 or 18, but there's still going to be really important stuff that happens to Natsu, Kagura, and Reedus.

That being said, I'm debating whether or not to include two arcs with this timeskip that just happened.

Here's the question; would you want to see a second arc included right after this one? After that arc I have planned, I could do another timeskip. This arc is going to tie in directly to the next one I wanted to plan on doing. All I'm going to say is that the next arc is going to be much more adventurous and is going to focus on Natsu gaining a good amount of power because of it. He'll have Kagura and some other lesser known guild mates (Macao, Syuki, Wakaba, ETC) at his side during it.

Who knows? Maybe Kagura might realize she might be growing feelings for her Guild Master (;

Let me clarify that if this does happen, Kagura will only develop feelings. That doesn't mean she'll necessarily tell them to Natsu. I think that might be after the timeskip.

With that being said, thank you for for your continued support. I read every single one of your reviews, acknowledge your favorites and follows, and they encourage me at times to get up and write more chapters. I hope you enjoy what's to come!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 14: A New Threat**

"She's… She's… She's beautiful!" A short man with a rectangular face stuttered. He combed his orange hair out of his eyes to gain a better view at the person he was looking at. "Men, my eyes do not deceive me!"

" **Yes Master. You are seeing things correctly!"** A trio of men spoke in unison from behind him.

The short man bolted to the woman in his sights and took a knee in front of her. "My honey… I don't believe I got the chance to introduce myself. My name is Ichiya, but I will allow you to call me Master. I am a fool to have viewed Miss Scarlet in the way I view you now. You shall be my angel, and I will be your merciful lord in return." He bowed while pulling a rose from the sleeve of his suit. The man held the dark flower up to the purple haired mage standing in front of him.

This caused her to violently shiver as chills ran down her body. "Master Natsu? Are you sure we're in the right place?" She peeped out of her shut lips.

This caused Natsu to lay a hand on her shoulder from behind. "Don't worry about him Kagura. His name is Ichiya. He might be eccentric, but he's actually a really strong wizard. The other three guys with him over there are apart of his team. They're called the Trimens and all four of them are apart of Blue Pegasus." He slightly sweatdropped at the Trimens antics.

"Great… So Ichiya's a womanizing fruitcake AND he has the magic to back it up." She coldly replied with a glare towards the short mage. She continued by slapping the rose out of the man's hand which made his face change to a ghostly white.

Kagura's cold personality caused Ichiya to fall over on his side. "Muh- Mmmeeeennnnn." He was able to moan before passing out from heartbreak.

" **It's okay Master! We're here for you!"** Two of the Trimens members yelled while running to Ichiya's aid. They lifted his almost lifeless body and carried him to one of the nearby benches scattered throughout the wings of the church to treat him.

The Trimens member who didn't help carry Ichiya approached Kagura. He was well tanned and had black hair similar to how Ichiya's was styled. He put his hands on his hips and sighed with an uninterested tone. "So your name is Kagura? I remember you from your duel at the Magic Coalition. The name's Ren. Don't get the wrong idea though, it's not like I care or anything. I just thought that you would like to know we have a lot in common since you slapped my Master's rose out of his hand." He related to their cold personalities.

"So Ichiya is a creep and you think you're better then him just because you think you know who I am?" She exclaimed in annoyance while crossing her arms.

This caused Ren to chuckle slightly. "Whatever you say babe. I told you already that I don't really care if we're friends even if we are working together." He shrugged while coolly walking back to where the Trimens were treating Ichiya.

Kagura turned around to her Guild Master in disgust. "Master Natsu? You can't be serious about working with them? I thought you said that this was an S-Class quest." She huffed at how much the men were irritating them.

"For the last time Kagura, they're all here for a reason. Don't worry, if it makes you feel better, you can definitely tell that Ichiya here learned a few lessons from Erza back in the day. Not to mention we can always turn them down a few notches and put them in their places if they don't know any better. I don't blame them wanting to fight you since you're just as strong as me." He finished by cracking his knuckles sarcastically.

"Oui! I'm ready whenever you are Master Natsu!" Reedus agreed from beside his Guild Master

The tense atmosphere between the Trimens and Fairy Tail caused Ichiya to regain consciousness and jump back to his feet while the other three team members surrounded him.

One of the mages who carried Ichiya to the bench began to confidently glare towards Natsu and his group. He had dark blonde hair and was also wearing a black suit coupled with a blue shirt underneath. "It's best you watch what you say to our boss. He was nice enough to treat Kagura here with respect just like he did with Erza, so I suggest doing the same. My name's Hibiki, and I definitely don't want to start off teaching you guys a lesson since Kagura is so lovely."

The other mage who helped carry Ichiya spoke from the other side of the short man. He had short blonde hair and was wearing a similar dark suit with a pink shirt underneath. "You can call me Eve, and the three of you should try listening to Hibiki's advice about our boss. He and the three of us are really strong which is why we're even here in the first place. The last thing you want to do is mess with the Trimens." He smirked confidently.

"Oh! So now Ichiya's your boss?" Kagura sarcastically smirked while drawing Archenemy's scabbard from her side. "You're forgetting that Fairy Tail is also here for the same reason you are. You're not the only ones who can put up a fight."

" **ENOUGH!** " A large man boomed from the rear of the cathedral. This caused everyone to snap their heads towards the noise which stopped a brawl from ensuing. "Ichiya, Ren, Hibiki, and Eve? I thought you would have known by now that Master Natsu was only joking around. You have worked with him in the past, so I expected you to know by now how enthusiastic he can get when working with other mages. Even still, he deserves the utmost respect from everyone here since he's volunteered to help us out as our leader on this mission. Don't forget the duel he had with Kagura during the Magic Coalition. She's just as potent as him which means she also deserves the utmost respect." The man commanded.

" **Yessir!** " The Trimens responded in unison before Ichiya broke off from the group. He then made his way to Natsu, Kagura, and Reedus before twirling in front of them. "My apologies if our introductions disrespected you in any way. The rest of the Trimens and I look forward to accompanying you throughout our quest together and we hope to learn from your Guild Master." He finished twirling with a slight bow.

Natsu returned the bow and smiled. "Just like the old days."

"Yes," Jura confiedntly smiled, "Now that you have been introduced to the representatives of Blue Pegasus, might I introduce my guild mates representing Lamia Scale?"

Natsu began to shake his head vigorously. "Please, there's no need to. Unless you have new guild members, I already remembered everyone from last time." He nudged towards Lyon leaning on one of the Cathedral's walls.

"Unfortunately, one of our original members was unavailable to represent Lamia Scale this time. Her name was Sherry if you couldn't remember. Instead, her cousin will be taking her place." Jura nodded while gesturing to Lyon. The pale blue haired man was wearing a white jacket with a red tunic underneath which represented a snowy attire.

The Ice mage separated himself from the wall and walked to one of the stone pillars to lead a petite girl with pink hair from behind it. The girl shyly staggered into the open where she was met halfway by Natsu with Lyon next to her.

"It's great to see you again Master Natsu. When Master Ooba asked if I was interested in joining the Allied Forces as a Lamia Scale guild member, I didn't hesitate to accept the invitation. The reason I'm here is because someone around here needs to represent what Gray lived for." Lyon said depressingly.

Natsu put a hand on the Ice mage's shoulder. "It's great to see you also. I'm glad that you're enjoying Lamia Scale and still live by Gray's advice. You really meant a lot to him and he'd be glad to know how much you've changed since that fiasco on Galuna Island." He smiled before pulling Lyon in for a handshake. The Guild Master then turned his attention and kneeled to greet the petite girl standing beside him.

"Who might this grown up girl be?" He politely teased. The pink haired girl in front of him was wearing a blue miniskirt and a pink top that was sleeveless.

The girl fidgeted her shoes before responding. "My name's Sherria and… Well… I'm you biggest fan. You've been my role model ever since I was seven!" She finished with a slight squeal.

"So YOU'RE my biggest fan?" Natsu skeptically said out loud before chuckling. "Sayuki isn't going to be too happy about that. She's one of my guild members and she always tells me that she's my biggest fan. Don't worry though, she's not my biggest fan anymore since I bet you could beat her up really easy. This team is only for really strong people which is why you're here!" He reassured her while ruffling her pink hair. This cause Sherria to look away out of embarrassment while trying to straighten her pigtails. Natsu then peered above to speak so Lyon towering above him.

The Ice mage chuckled slightly and laid a fatherly hand on her shoulder. "Believe it or not, she's telling the truth. Sherria used to beg Sherry to get an autograph signed by you, but Sherry refused since you've been so busy lately."

Natsu warmly smiled and returned his attention to the adolescent in front of him. "I don't know what, but something about you reminds me a lot about an old friend of mine. Her name was Wendy Marvell. How old are you?" He asked skeptically.

"I'm 10!" The girl proudly exclaimed with her hands on her hips.

Natsu beamed at her response while standing up. "Ah! That's probably it. You're only two years younger than her. When this is all said and done, I'll definitely get you the best autograph ever." This caused Sherria to smile in excitement while Natsu became slightly serious. "Right now though, the faster we complete this mission, the faster you can get your autograph. Are there any other guild members we're expecting to arrive." He finished by diverting back to the original reason as to why everyone was there.

Jura shook his and responded. "No. You've already met everyone that will be apart of our Alliance. As you can probably tell, our group is slightly smaller then last time. The original Allied Forces had 14 mages. At this moment, we only have 10. That being said, we've drastically improved out magical potential since we last gathered two years ago. We're not only more experienced as a team, but we're also extremely well informed about the opposition we face."

"Speaking of information. Would anyone mind filling me in about why the Magical Alliance was formed by Gran Doma of all people? Its only been a week since I last talked to the other Guild Masters about the situation. Has it really taken a turn for the worse?" Natsu asked utterly confused and with a concerned tone.

This caused Hibiki to sigh. "Unfortunately, it has. If everyone could please take a seat, I'll be able to clarify why we've been asked to form again." He called out to all the mages. Hibiki climbed the steps at the edge of the Cathedral and leaned on the rail at the top. He positioned himself behind the balustrade so he could project his voice to the other mages in the building. Natsu, Kagura, and Reedus sat down at a bench with the other mages and looked up towards the Trimens member atop the staircase.

"So… Now what?" Natsu said awkwardly with Reedus and Kagura sitting at his side.

"I think a good place to start is by you telling me what you already know. We can save time that way if we're all on the same page." Hibiki suggested.

"Well, I know as much as I did two years ago during the Magic Coalition. According to the rest of your Guild Masters, there have been similar robberies going around Fiore for some time right now. The item being stolen in these robberies are Lacrimas without any magical properties. The reason this concerned us was because stealing these types of Lacrimas have no direct benefit. The only reason for using blank Lacrimas is to store large amounts of magic which can eventually be sold to mages. Even then, it takes a considerable amount of time to gain enough power for it to pay off in the end."

Hibiki chuckled slightly before nodding. "That basically sums up where we're at."

Reedus finally gained the courage to speak out. "Pardon me Hibiki, but I'm sensing a rather big problem that you have yet to tell us."

"You're correct Reedus. The reason we're all here today started a little over a week ago. Ever since this our Guild Masters brought these robberies up two years ago, the criminals committing these crimes have been getting increasingly aggressive with their tactics to the point where they're taking casing stores in broad daylight to increase their take as much as possible."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Does that mean-"

"Yes. Civilians are now at risk of becoming hostages during these robberies. Believe it or not, this is where we got our big break. Since the robberies now involve civilians, the Magic Council realized it was time to intervene because the patterns in the quests obviously weren't stopping. Of course, this was in done in way that didn't involve another Magical Alliance up untl now."

"So what did the Magic Council do to intervene?" Natsu skeptically questioned.

"Remember how I said that since robberies were happening in daylight, civilians needed to be taken hostage? Well… One of the mages held hostage during one of these robberies last week worked for the Magic Council. Apparently, this mage was able to identify one of the culprits in the attack even though they were all wearing masks. Don't ask how this mage ID'd the culprit, but she was able to find out that the criminals belong to a Dark Guild, so I wouldn't be too surprised that they left usable evidence behind." Hibiki finished with a laugh.

"Let me get this straight… If we fast forward two years later from the Magic Coalition, these robberies are obviously getting much more serious. They're taking place throughout broad daylight which means these criminals are starting to take hostages. I think we can all agree that the last thing we need is for these bastards to start killing innocent people and start demanding to get more of these blank Lacrimas. Now it makes sense to me why we need to get to the bottom of all of this. Is that why we formed another Magic Alliance?" Natsu tried to sum up everything.

"You're kind of right, but don't forget that these types of robberies have been happening all the time these past two years and it's nothing new for criminals to take civilians as hostages in general robberies." Hibiki explained.

This even puzzled Jura. "If that's the case, then I fail to see the reason for the Magic Council forming another Alliance if they know this already. Even if we explained to them that these robberies are getting more serious, they still wouldn't take our advice. With all due respect to my superiors, since when do they ever listen to what we have to say?"

This caused Hibiki's mood to take a complete turn for the worse. His dark blonde hair shadowed his face which made even Jura anxious. "The Magic Council listened when they realized what we're TRULY up against. I need everyone here to listen to me closely... I'm about to show you an image from my **Archive**." He chanted his magic while completing his sentence. This caused a holographic projection to appear in front of the entire Magical Alliance. Hibiki then diverted his attention to where Lamia Scale was sitting. "Jura? please cover Sheria's eyes for the next few seconds. I warn you, what I'm about to show you is quite disturbing."

Jura immediately complied and held both hands over the young girl's blue eyes. The petite girl sat on her hands and waited patiently for something to happen without speaking.

Once Hibiki saw Jura cover the small girl's eyes. He swiped his hand across his projection which caused it to flip around and reveal an image to all the mages sitting on the benches. Natsu and Lyon immediately stood up from his seat with the rest of the Trimens at the image now burned into their heads. Kagura gasped at the image while Reedus's gaze shot upwards to avoid looking at the grotesque scene. Jura was the only person there who didn't react to the photo there aside from Sherria and Hibiki.

"Who… Who would do such a thing?" Kagura barely managed to stutter with her hands clasped against her mouth.

Hibiki responded before all hell could break loose in the Cathedral. "Let me start by clarifying that the mage in this photo did not die in vain. His name is-"

"Wataru Akiyama." Jura spat in disgust while trying his hardest not to lose his composure. "He was the 6th Wizard Saint of the Magic Council just behind me. That being said, first and foremost, he was a well valued comrade of mine. That explains why he has not contacted me this past week."

Hibiki sadly nodded. "Jura is correct. Wataru Akiyama was the mage who was held hostage in the robbery where that Dark Guild member was ID'd. The Magic Council was able to use this evidence to track down the division of the Dark Guild that the member belonged to. The guild hall resides on the border of Clover Town, and when he went to dispatch of it himself… He ended up like this."

"A Wizard Saint ended up like THAT!" Reedus quivered at the corpse of the body he was looking at.

Hibiki quickly interrupted again. "Yes… He is exactly the reason why we're here. Mister Akiyama's death is the reason the Magic Council ordered us to form another Magical Alliance! His death means that we're now able to work together once and for all to get to the bottom of who's behind these robberies. Not only that, but his sacrifice allowed us to learn valuable information about our enemy." Hibiki stated while changing the picture in his Archive. He signaled at Jura that it was now okay to uncover Sherria's eyes.

"Please continue." Natsu said while regaining his composure with the rest of the Trimens. They began to take their seats again and take deep breaths while staring at the new image on the screen.

Hibiki inhaled deeply and continued. "First off, let's all agree that what you saw was no natural cause of death. Mister Akiyama had a live Lacrima feed implanted in his vision before leaving to dispatch of guild's division in Clover Town just in case something happened to him. The Magic Council received this live recording and shared everything with the rest of our Guild Masters once they realized his faith. In fact, his death plays an important role in us stopping the criminals. Did anyone see anything odd about his corpse?

This cause Natsu to fluster sarcastically. "You mean besides the fact he was lying in some empty cell that looked like an operating room? Not to mention his chest was completely disemboweled? I have no idea why that's important other than proving to us that this Dark Guild has some twisted psychos in it."

Hibiki nodded in agreement. "That's what the rest of the Guild Masters originally thought. The thing is, why go through all that effort to disembowel him if it was just going to lead to his death? Then we realized something. The reason for her death was lying on that rack to the side of the cell."

Lyon finally gained the courage to snap out of his dazed state. He then chipped into the conversation. "What? You mean those Larcimas that were cracked and broken?"

"Exactly. Let's assume we were a Dark Guild and wanted to torture a subject for information. As sick as it sounds, I wouldn't start by simply disemboweling them. That would lead to a rather quick death. This is where the rest of the Guild Masters pieced two and two together." Hibiki paused for dramatic effect.

"Well… Go on." Lyon encouraged.

After the few seconds of dramatic effect passed, Hibiki flipped the new image which revealed a person wearing plated armor. The person's face was covered by a triangular mask made with similar material while his back was covered by a piece of dark cloth that cascaded behind. "This was one of the last few images the Magic Council received from Mister Akiyama. He was held captive in that cell you all saw for around day before he was killed. The mage in the image wearing that armor was the person that killed Mister Akiyama. We have reason to believe he's the Guild Master over this Dark Guild."

"So what's this guy's name and how do you know he's their Guild Master?" Natsu shivered at the man's ambiguous nature.

"If I'm being honest, the rest of the Guild Masters can only assume he's their Guild Master. The thing is, the day Mister Akiyama was captured, the guards to his cell kept saying stuff on the line of 'we've gotta wait until our Guild Master shows up before we do anything.' This is where the rest of the Guild Masters got the idea that this guild planned on using Mister Akiyama and other random mages as experimental subjects for the Lacrimas they've been stealing. When the time came, they would of course remove the Lacrima which would kill the mage in the process. That's the only reason we can see them doing this in the first place which was why he wasn't killed until this guy in the armor came along. The guards said it themselves; the only way they could kill him is if their Master showed up, and the man wearing the armor was the person to do so."

A deathly silence fell upon the group while Hibiki began to wrap up the new information received. Jura was the first to break this silence while he trembled slightly. "This is the first I've ever hear of something this sinister. Using innocent mages to harvest power from a Lacrima is not only abusing magic, but is something we must deal with immediately."

Hibiki faced Natsu and began speaking to the Dragon Slayer. "Jura already mentioned it earlier and the rest of the Guild Masters already told this to you you, but you're going to be our team leader throughout this quest. You're not only the most experienced with how Dark Guilds operate considering Fairy Tail fought so many, but this is the one time I think getting a little destructive is what these bastards deserve."

Natsu chuckled in an attempt to ease the grim mood. "Believe me when I say that I'm far from the most experienced when dealing with Dark Guilds. That title belongs to one of my other mages."

"And you didn't bring them with you?" Lyon was the first to deadpan.

Natsu confidently smirked. "I knew this mission was serious, but I didn't know it was to the point where it involved a Wizard Saint dying. Plus, the mage I'm talking about has been really busy lately."

Hibiki then interrupted by making one last request. "We should be alright with the team we have now. Does anyone here still have questions about what's going on? If you don't, now would be a good time to let the rest of us know if anyone has a good place to start brainstorming ideas as to why this Dark Guild is trying to harvest power from these blank Lacrimas." Hibiki finished by suggesting.

Another short silence fell upon the Alliance. Everyone was caught up with what was going on. Before Hibiki could begin concluding the situation, Natsu began to slowly raise his hand. "I don't really have an idea to share, it's more of a comment."

"Let's here it." Hibiki beamed.

"Well, this whole situation kinda seems familiar." Natsu skeptically replied.

Everyone there cocked their eyebrows in curiosity. "You have me rather intrigued Master Natsu. Would you care to elaborate?" Jura replied while stroking his beard.

The Guild Master hesitated before responding. "It has to do with how we think that Wataru was being used to harvest the power of her magic into a Lacrima. Everything Hibiki said reminded me of why Ivan Dreyar was excommunicated from Fairy Tail. Back when Ivan was a member of Fairy Tail, apparently he implanted a Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima into his son in order to harvest the power from it. His son's name was Laxus, and Ivan planned to remove the Lacrima after a few years when it gained enough magical potential for him to use."

"That's terrible." Kagura replied while trying to maintain her stoic nature. She couldn't image her own family member such as Simon betraying her like that.

Natsu nodded in agreement. "Now I get why this was so serious. Removing the Lacrima from Laxus's body meant that he would be killed." Natsu paused to take out a lifeless orb from his pocket. "Actually, this is the other Lacrima that Old Gramps here confiscated from Ivan. I'm probably just rambling, but It's just a bit of a coincidence I guess."

All the mages present silently agreed with Natsu's conclusion while Hibiki replied. "That's actually very interesting to note. We'll definitely keep that in mind when we put a stop to their Guild Master once and for all for their crimes. Right now, our best course of action would be storming this Dark Guild's division in Clover Town and trying to see if we can gather more information about their Headquarters. If we bring their Guild Master and Headquarters down, we'll finally be at ease."

This caused Sherria to tremble in fear. "Wait! You made Clover Town and that Dark Guild sound really scary! I don't want to go there!" Even though Sherria was quiet when Hibiki was speaking, she could understand what was going on to a certain degree since she was paying attention.

Natsu turned to her and gave her his signature toothy grin. "Don't worry about being scared! As long as you listen to Jura, you'll be a big help to us and we'll even keep you safe."

Jura smiled and replied to the Guild Master. "Thank you for your kindness Master Natsu. What course of action would you want from us?"

Natsu gave the large mage a thumbs up before starting again. "Obviously we need to go check out Clover Town first to see what this Dark Guild is up to. I think it would be best if we storm them by surprise first thing…" Natsu paused when he realized something. "Hold up. What did you say the name of this Dark Guild is? I mean, how do you know these sickos are a guild to begin with?" He waited for Hibiki to answer.

Hibiki frowned and responded. "We don't know the guild's name and we're only assuming they're a guild since the man in that image appears to be their Guild Master. Truth be told, we don't even know WHY they're trying to harvest power with the Lacrimas. For all we know, it could be something as simple as eliminating a powerful enemy they don't like to overthrowing Fiore's guild system. We have no idea right now, and that's what we're here to find out and put a stop to. Everyone here is packed for the journey and our belongings are waiting for us at the entrance."

"So is that it? Are we all caught up with what's going on?" Natsu stood up while surveying all the other members of the Alliance. Everyone there had confident smirks on their face despite the severity of the situation.

Ichiya stood up and surveyed the Trimens. "Do any of my men have something they would like to add?"

" **No boss! We're ready to take care of this Dark Guild and avenge Mister Akiyama!"** They bowed profusely in unison. This cued Hibiki to stop using his Archive magic and make his way to where his guild was now standing.

Natsu clasped his hands together and spoke out loud to everyone. "It's time for us to kick some ass! I know this sounds crazy, but we should actually get our stuff and leave for Clover Town right now."

This caused even Jura to go wide eyed. "But Master Natsu? The train station isn't open at this time. Even if we could take a train, it wouldn't be smart traveling when it's this dark outside."

"Who said anything about taking a train?" He chuckled while walking towards the entrance. Both Kagura and Reedus briskly followed behind him with similar confusion. He scooped up his belongings and turned around to face the astonished mages in front. The Dragon Slayer then began to clarify what he had planned. "I know it sounds crazy, but we should leave for Clover Town now even though it's pitch dark outside. We'll start traveling there tonight and set up camp when we start getting tired. We can finish traveling to the guild tomorrow morning and attack them when they first open. Plus, I don't think I need to remind you what happened the last time I took transportation with you guys. Remember how I felt riding Christina?" He finished by shivering.

All the mages silently agreed. This suggestion caused Kagura to nod in approval from next to her Guild Master. "That could actually work in our favor Master Natsu. If we storm their guild first thing tomorrow morning, they're going to have a lot less members at the guild then they would in the middle of the day. We'll have an easier time working our way to their basement where we'll be able to hopefully gather more information about their Guild Master and where this guild's Headquarters is."

"You've got it! I'll do anything as long as I don't have to take a train." This caused Sherria to start giggling since she knew all about Natsu's motion sickness.

Natsu then began to walk towards the entrance while gesturing to the large stone doors. "Let's get moving. The walk to clover town is going to take around three hours. There's no need to go walk in some type of formation for safety. I'll hear see of hear anything that gets in a town's distance away from us." He finished by tapping his ears which referenced his enhanced hearing.

With that, the mages grabbed the rest of their belongings and exited the massive Gothic structure sheltering them from the outside. Jura began to stir up small talk with Natsu concerning the loss of his comrade and what that possibly meant for the future of the Wizard Saints. Kagura began to tune into their conversation while providing small amounts of emotional support to help him overcome his loss. Even though the Earth Mage always put on an emotionless expression, he was concerned for the future of Fiore. The sun had long set and the only indication of the mages knowing where they were going was the trail in the distance leading though Magnolia Forest and the trust that they had in one another to reach a common goal.

* * *

"Master Natsu? Why are we setting up camp this close to Clover Town? Aren't the bad guys somewhere in there?" A petite pink haired girl chimed while beginning to sit down with the rest of the Alliance.

"Sherria? Don't question Master Natsu's leadership." Jura scolded from beside her.

"Don't worry about it Jura!" Natsu smiled before staring across the campsite to Sherria. "The guild's actually all the way on the other outskirt of town. I wouldn't count on them being smart enough to realize we're this close to them so we don't have to worry about them searching for any intruders this close to town. We COULD storm the guild while it's still dark, but if we wait until the leader of the guild hall gets here to open up, we'll have a better chance of getting info since they could tell us more about what they're trying to accomplish."

Lyon nodded in agreement from the other side of the pink haired girl. "He's got a point. Not to mention I don't like the idea of fighting inside a Dark Guild's basement in the middle of the night."

Natsu huffed in response. "Speaking of dark… I'm going to light the fire if we're all ready." Natsu continued by lifting his right hand and lighting the tip of his index finger on fire. He continued by flicking the small ember into the fire pit the group was surrounding. The dry tree branches in the middle of the pit set ablaze which revealed the grim expressions on everyone's faces.

"Yippee… Just like camping." Ren responded sarcastically while pulling out some of his food rations from his pack.

This caused Sherria to bolt up from sitting. "CAMPING CAMPING! SOMEONE TELL ME A STORY."

"Sherria? I don't think that Ren was being serious." Lyon sweatdropped while trying to calm her down.

"Who cares! I want a story before I go to bed." She crossed her arms and retook her seat next to Lyon.

Natsu smiled at the small girl's antics. "If you want a scary story, I think Kagura would be a good place to start."

"What was that?" Kagura shot her Guild Master a sharp glare from next to him.

Before Kagura got the chance to hit Natsu over the head, Sherria began to giggle. "Nuh-uh! I want a happy story. I don't want to be scared especially since we have to fight bad guys tomorrow."

Jura sighed and eventually gave in. "I suppose we have time for one camp story. After that I suggest we got to bed. It's already 11:00 and if Master Natsu wants us to ambush the guild in the morning, we should do so around 8:00 when the guild's traffic isn't too busy." The Earth mage paused to direct his attention towards where the Trimens were sitting. "Ichiya? You and the Trimens wouldn't happen to know of any stories to tell since there's so many of you?"

Ichiya combed his orange hair and replied. "If I'm being quite honest men, I'm rather intrigued to know if Master Natsu would be interested in doing such an honor. After all, it is a privilege to be working with a man who has accomplished so much at such a youthful age."

All eyes turned to the Dragon Slayer who was playing with the fire pit out of boredom. He stopped poking around at the flickering warmth with his hands and lifted his head out of slight embarrassment for being put on the spot. He blushed slightly and responded to the short man. "Do… Do you really think so? I've only been trying to do what's best for Fairy Tail over all these years."

Ichiya chuckled slightly and responded to the Guild Masters doubt. "Has it not worked? You are the youngest Guild Master in history being only 17 years old when Fairy Tail agreed to appointing you. You were able to successfully convince the Magic Council that the Guild System we have used for the past 400 years needed to be changed by diverting attention more towards mages. Might I add this is one of the reason's little Sherria is strong enough to be with here on this quest despite being ten? Jura and Lyon were the ones to train her after listening to your advice at the Magic Coalition. This doesn't even include the feats you have accomplished before Master Makarov's unfortunate passing when you were apart of Team Natsu! Not to mention your efforts as Guild Master are evident with Reedus becoming quite possibly the fastest S-Class mage ever: all to support Fairy Tail's future as a guild."

Everyone smiled in assurance towards the Guild Master who was staring in awe. Sherria then started to speak towards him in encouragement. "C'mon Master Natsu! Mister Ichiya is right. You should tell us a story since you've been on so many adventures!"

Natsu only sighed in response. "Well… Since Ichiya and you are so interested in me all of a sudden, I don't really have a choice, do I?" Natsu beamed before inhaling deeply. "You know what? I think I have a story. It might sound a bit sad in the beginning, but it gets better. Now where do I begin…?"

With that, Natsu looked off into the distance of the silent town across from them. He then stared back at the inferno of the fire which encased his eyes as he remembered the story his foster father told him so many years ago.

* * *

Scene Change - 400 years ago

"Mommy… Daddy! I'm going to take Iketani outside to play. We're going to go see if any of the other kids want to play with us since their parents are back from the battlefield!"

"Honey? I don't know how I feel about that. You know how dangerous it is outside nowadays. You've seen the men I had to patch up lately from the war, and I just don't want you to end up like one of them."

"But I'll have Iketani with me and the rest of the village is here if in case I'm in trouble. The army is home on break so shouldn't that mean it's safe?"

The father of the child arguing wrapped his hands around his wife's waist and charmed her. "C'mon dear. The kids already know to not leave the village. Not to mention we haven't had an incident where our village was raided in so many years. I think we can agree that this village is safe for them to play in."

The mother mustered a small smile. "Alright… But I want you both back before dinner. If you need anything at all, yell for help so the army can find you. If you're not back by nighttime, I won't be the one who you're going to speak to. It's going to be Chief Shiro and you're going to explain to him why you're taking up his time during his break. Do you understand young lady?"

"Yes ma'am!" The small girl with black hair bowed while grabbing his brother's arm. "C'mon Iketani! We finally get to go play!" She finished speaking by tugging him outside the kitchen door and bolting down the dirt path outside their house with him by her side.

After a few seconds of running down the large main road, she looked over her shoulder to see if their parents were watching them from the house's window. After she confirmed that they weren't, the girl turned to speak to Iketani. "C'mon. We're going to go to the place where the rest of the kids meet up before dinner to play army!"

"Rebuke? What do you mean? That's all the way by the forest. Mom's going to be really mad if she finds out where we're going." He called the girl by her name.

"Shut up." She giggled. "Mom and dad get all smoochy with each other whenever we leave. They won't know where we're going unless we tell them. Don't worry about the other adults finding where we are also. It's super safe and we've been playing there for months without anyone knowing."

Iketani couldn't argue. He kept up with his sister as she lead him into the outskirts of the forest outlining their village. As the duo began to enter the edge of the forest, they were surprised to find that no other kids in the village were playing inside it. An eerie silence loomed over the two children who began to slow their pace.

"Hey Rebuke? Where do you think all the other kids are at? Don't they usually play close to the outside of the forest just in case they get attacked by those monsters? Even if we're safe in this village, know one goes past the forest unless they're soldiers. It's just too dangerous."

Rebuke huffed at her brother's antics. "They probably just went inside the forest a little more to explore new strategies. C'mon! stop being a wuss. We're still really close to town. Let's see if we can find them." She suggested by navigating further into the raised forest.

The more they trekked into the forest, the more Iketani would turn around to check how far the town was. What used to be the village's houses made of bricks lying inside the bowl like terrain turned into red blurs in the distance.

"Ruh- Rebuke? We should really turn around and head back to town. If mom and dad find out how far we're going into the forest, we'll never be allowed to even step outside the house!"

Before Iketani could continue speaking, Rebuke stopped in her tracks which caused Iketani to bump his nose into her. The girl then stuttered. "Ih- Iketani. I think I know why none of the other kids are playing here."

The black haired girl pointed towards where the forest should have been in front of her. Instead of trees sitting in the distance, a massive crater dipped into the ground. Whatever created the impact wouldn't have been heard from town considering how far away it was. The trees that remained were left lying in the wake of the crater completely torn apart.

Iketani tugged on Rebuke's arm in awe at the massive ditch. "C'mon Rebuke! There might be a really strong mage in that hole who can help us in the war! Let's go see if they're still there!" The young boy suggested. He immediately snapped out of his trance and started bolting with his older sister.

Iketani then began leading Rebuke closer towards edge of the hole. The closer they approached the lip of the crater, the more Iketani started to hear a deep rumbling noise coming from inside of it. Smoke, ember, and ashes began to fill the air around them with each step they took.

The children carefully leaned over the edge and squinted through the remaining haze that blocked their eyesight. Rebuke shrieked at what she saw lying within the center of the crater. This snapped Iketani out of his astonished and wide eyed trance. The younger brother took matters into his own hands without hesitation. He grabbed Rebuke by her hand and started towing her in the opposite direction of the ledge as fast as possible. A few seconds into being dragged, Rebuke looked over her shoulder one last time to hear another low groan behind her.

"IKETANI! Let me go! We need to help him! He's dying!" She began to hysterically panic while fighting against her brother's grip.

Iketani turned around. He didn't know what shocked him more at this point. What the two of them just saw, or what his own sister just suggested. "Rebuke! We're going to find the chief so he can handle the situation."

"NO! The chief will kill him!"

"Exactly! What do you think the chief is going to do? Let that monster go so it can tell the rest of his friends to attack our village?" He sarcastically yelled.

"IKETANI!" Rebuke began to whimper in helplessness the more she argued. "This is something different. He's hurt and we need to help him or he's going to die slowly and painfully. I've seen mom patch up soldiers who come home from war all the time… I know I can do this!" She yelled while beginning to power walk the other way back towards the edge of the crater.

"YOU'RE GOING TO HELP THAT MONSTER? Why do you think he's all the way out here? He's going to kill you and then he's going to come after mom and dad and the rest of the village! We're the only ones that can warn everyone!"

Rebuke wasn't listening. She began to approach the ledge again while Iketani's dark hair began to shadow his facial expression. The black haired girl started to speak while not turning back to see her brother's darkened face. "I'm going to slide down into the hole. I have some medical herbs in my pocket that can help him-"

She never got the chance to finish. Her voice was interrupted by a low growl from behind her. "Rebuke… I might be your baby brother and I'm only nine, buh- but you're not listening." Iketani hiccuped while clenching his fists. "We've been at war with these monsters for a long time now. Thuh- They destroyed our old village, they made us to rebuild a smaller one, and they killed some of our best friends: even some that mom and dad knew. I can't believe you've forgotten everything that's happened to us. Why are you helping that thing after everything they've done to us?"

Rebuke hesitated. She wish she could answer without waiting, but even this was a tough decision for her. "I never forgot… I moved on. I didn't say I would forgive them for what they did, but what you don't understand is that just because we're their enemy, doesn't mean that people don't have hearts and are jerks. If we were battling another village and you saw a bad guy that was really hurt, would you help him…?" The black haired girl paused for a response before concluding her thoughts. "I'm sorry." Rebuke shivered in emotional pain after being reminded about everything that happened to her family. She didn't look back while she jumped off the ledge onto the steep incline leading into the crater.

Iketani was left dazed. He couldn't believe that his sister was helping humanities most ruthless enemy. . "Rebuke… That's something completely different. Humans are different than those monsters. We help each other, but we don't help THEM." He referred to the situation his sister gave him. Iketani didn't wait any longer. He turned his back to where his sister began rappelling down the incline in order to rush back to the safety of his town.

Rebuke began to balance herself as she bolted down the crater. She hesitated while looking over her shoulder to see that her brother was no longer there. She shook the negative thoughts out of her mind and looked back towards the crater's center because the ground beneath started to level out.

The black haired girl slowed her pace and inhaled deeply while approaching her target. In front of her was a gigantic silhouette which was left panting in agony. The black outline of the creature had its eyes closed towards the young girl and let out a low grumble in response to picking up her scent with his enhanced senses. The creature had a skeleton like structure that appeared to be set ablaze in a torrent of flames. Rebuke finished trekking through the thick layer of smoke and confirmed the creature's identity. A dragon.

The flames encasing the dragon caused Rebuke to keep her distance from him. A few seconds later, the dragon opened its blazing eyes and growled with as much hostility as he could muster. "What are you waiting for? You've found me, now finish the job you human. I've lost." He closed his eyes and tilted his head backwards because he was expecting the worst.

Instead of killing the dragon like he expected, the young girl kneeled beside his cracked face and took a bundle of herbs out of her dresses pocket. "Shut up." She managed to giggle while inserting them into the inside of the crack. She then took out a chunky white substance from her pocket which she began to heat up rapidly using the friction from her hands. The white curds turned into a paste which she then applied on top of the herbs to hold them in place inside of the wound.

"What are you doing? IF YOU LET ME REGAIN MY STRENGTH I WILL HUNT YOU HUMANS DOW-" The dragon was interrupted by him coughing violently.

Rebuke shook her head and sighed. "You're not hunting anyone down until you're healed up." She replied before moving down to the dragon's lower body. Rebuke continued to apply the herbs with the white plaster on top to seal the cracked bones so they could heal on their own. She was completely unfazed that the dragon's body was composed of flames.

The dragon couldn't do anything but sit there and get treated by the small girl kneeling next to him. "Why are you treating me like this? We're supposed to be at war with each other! Letting me die would be one less problem your village has to worry about." The dragon questioned in confusion.

"Being in a war that involves dragons isn't different then being at war with other humans. Stop feeling special, I would do this for any enemy that humans face. Letting you die here slowly would be mean. That's not how humans are supposed to fight."

The dragon then began to skeptically respond with honestly. He glared towards the girl moving towards his appendages in an attempt to intimidate her. "I came here from a battle towards the eastern side of Ishgar. The east side of Ishgar is supposed to be a place where humans are trying to befriend dragons and live in harmony with them! How can you trust me after we wiped out an entire village that wanted to form an alliance with us?"

The girl began to finish up the last of the cracks in the Dragon's skull caused by the impact and looked back up at him in the process. "Well… After I'm done helping you… You're going to be so happy about what I did that you're not going to kill me or any other human ever again!" Rebuke optimistically replied.

The dragon was left in awe to say the least. Up until this point, he had never met another human with so much compassion before. He planned on killing the young girl on the spot once she finished healing his wounds, but for the first time in his life, a human was doing what he thought was impossible: conversing and communicating with a dragon.

The dragon's thoughts were interrupted by Rebuke. "So… Are you going to tell me your name since I'm helping you?"

The dragon hesitated for a few second before reluctantly growling. "Atlas Flame. That's what I'm known by. Don't get the wrong idea human. I'm grateful for what you're doing to me, but my opinions about your race don't change. We're at war with each other over OUR rightful land."

The black haired girl ignored Atlas Flame's opinion and responded. "My name's Rebuke. That's what I'm know by at least. My real name is Yuki, but whenever people saw me and said 'Hey Yuki,' they would say it so fast that is sounds like Rebuke. My parents said that I would yell at people who called me that, so my dad said that the name fits perfectly."

Rebuke finished applying the last of the plaster to the dragon's body before stepping back. She smiled in approval and gave Atlas Flame a thumbs up. "I've never had patch up a dragon before, but when I started healing you, I found out that your body has a lot in common with animal bones! It's not perfect, but at least your wounds won't get infected. Some spots that you got cut might still hurt because I didn't have enough herbs to use on all of them, so I only did the ones that looked the worst." She finished by beaming towards the creature before her.

Atlas Flame began to reluctantly sit upright when his eyes widened in surprise. "How fascinating. I am able to sit up." He hesitated once more before closing his eyes and slowly lifting his massive wings. "I can even support my wings! That means I can return to my fellow dragons!" He roared in joy.

Rebuke couldn't help but grin even brighter at her finished project. "See? I told you that you wouldn't hurt me. You're too happy to do something that mean." She joked in response.

Before Atlas Flame could reply to Rebuke, the duo was interrupted by howling coming from the other side of the hill. "C'mon everyone! I think I heard the monster over here! Iketani said that this beast was at the edge of the forest!"

The shouting of the village's army coming towards the crater caused the dragon to growl in hatred. He stared back down to the girl below him and spoke. "Human? I am grateful for what you have done for me today. Because of that, I will choose not to kill you. However, us dragons are at war with humanity which means the two of us are enemies until one of our races comes to a resolution."

Atlas Flame was interrupted again. "I SEE SMOKE COMING FROM THAT CRATER. THAT BASTARD BETTER NOT HAVE GOTTEN TO REBUKE!" The chief shouted while picking up his pace with the rest of his troops.

The dragon ignored this and continued speaking. "As a reward for your benevolence showed upon me, I ask to take this with you." He finished while muttering at what he was about to do. He held his claw up to his right eye and carved it clean out of its socket. The raging eyeball lost all of its blistering flames and died out revealing what appeared to be a heavily charred piece of coal. He held out his eye to Rebuke who accepted the massive rock like body part in her small hands.

"Whuh- Why did you do that?" She began to quiver because she felt responsible for Atlas Flame harming himself.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I expect you to give that back one day. If you ever find yourself in trouble or need my assistance for anything at all, kiss the center of the eye. I will be there to assist you."

Rebuke never got the time to object. She opened her mouth to ask the dragon all the questions barraging her mind, but before she could do that, the Atlas Flame turned his back to her. He opened his mouth and inhaled to allow a red orb began to form in it. After his breath reached its apex, he exhaled which caused the orb to transform into a stream of flames. When the flames connected with the crater, a large pile of soot was thrown into the air.

Rebuke and the army that finally approached the ledge of the bowl had to close their eyes to shield themselves from the dark powder. When the soot began to settle, Rebuke opened one of her eyes to see that Atlas Flame was no longer in front of her. He completely vanished.

"REBUKE! WHAT ON EARTHLAND ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE?" The chief commander shouted while taking action. He jumped into the crater and skidded down to where Rebuke was standing.

The black haired girl turned around to face the middle aged man towering over her. She quickly shoved Atlas Flame's eye into her dresses pocket and looked up at the man. The man in front of her was wearing steel armor that complemented the soot that was resting on his shoulders. The man kneeled down to the girl and grasped her hand in a fatherly manner.

"Chief Shiro! I'm… I'm sorry for playing this far outside the village. Me and Iketani were trying to find the other kids that we play with but we ran into a dragon instead. I'm not hurt though, so please don't yell at me." The small girl quickly stuttered while a tear began to fall down her face. She noticed how worried her village's chief was and began to feel guilty that she caused him to worry so much about her.

"Rebuke? All that matters is that you're fine and that you weren't hurt. You're lucky you had Iketani with you. He told me everything."

"Huh- he did?" The girl began to go gloomy. She knew that her village was going to hate her now.

"Of course he told me! He said that you two were playing and you stumbled upon a dragon. The dragon was really hurt and you accidentally fell into the crater it landed in. Iketani said that he went to get help before the dragon could regain its strength. We were here just in time to! The dragon had just enough energy to escape." The chief muttered while grinding his teeth.

This caused Rebuked to inwardly sigh in relief. _"Iketani… Thank you."_ She teared up at her brother not telling the village about what she did.

The chief shook his head and spoke again. "It doesn't matter if the dragon escaped though. I think you learned a lesson from now on. No playing outside the village: even if it is the forest. With the amount of dragons attacking other humans nowadays, we just can't take the risk."

Rebuke nodded to show her chief that she understood him. "I'm sorry I didn't see which direction the dragon went. I think he kicked up all that dirt on purpose so we couldn't see where he was heading."

The chief stood up and ruffled her hair. "If that dragon comes back, we'll take care of him. Don't you worry about that monster hurting you. Now how about WE head back to your house to see your parents. Your mother promised to make me dinner if you ever needed my help, and I just might take her up on that offer since Mrs. Shiro is working late today" He joked while patting his stomach.

This caused Rebuke to giggle and hold Shiro's hand while they headed back up the crater. The rest of the troops headed back in front of them. "C'mon then! I promised mom and dad I wouldn't be home late!" The black haired girl giggled. All the while her other hand caressed the eye of the dragon in her dresses pocket.

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	15. Chapter 15 - Tears

**Author's Note (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FANFICTION LAYOUT):** Shits about to hit the fan in this chapter. That's all I'm going to say.

That being said, I decided on a layout that I think will fit up until the Tenrou Group's return. The start of During Those 7 Years involved Natsu becoming Guild Master and learning to mature slightly in order to support Fairy Tail's future. After that, we had our first two year timeskip after the Magic Coalition. Although Kagura and Natsu met and became friends during this time, nothing really kept them from wanting to grow closer together up until Natsu and Kagura wanted to go on this quest with Reedus. That leads into the next part;

These next few arcs will be about Natsu continuing to support Fairy Tail while doing everything in his capabilities to protect his Nakama. He's been trying to talk to Kagura and get to know her better like the rest of his guild mates, but the two of them are going to mean a lot more to each other once this chapter is done. Then you're going to realize why Kagura is going to become important to Natsu all of a sudden :-)

The next timeskip will be three years long. I stated the pairing wouldn't be this Fanfiction's priority, but after the next timeskip coming in the future, the three years after this will involve Natsu and Kagura growing their relationship from small hints in this arc and the next one. These hints before this large timeskip will ultimately bring the two closer together for the next three years coming out. Try looking out for them, because it might not seem like their relationship is progressing, but try comparing how the two interact with each other over time!

To recap, the general layout I've been following is; Natsu supports the guild - Natsu supports guild AND starts to unknowingly grow closer to Kagura - The guild is supported AND he now focuses attention to Kagura - Tenrou Group's return.

Two timeskips which divide the Fanfiction into three progressing sections. I don't mean to sound brazen, but I'm really liking how the future of During Those 7 Years is paving out to be!

As always, let me know what you think of this update and the plans for the future. I was reading one of my reviews, and don't worry. I haven't forgotten about Kagura's Gravity magic and Sabertooth. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this update!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 15: Tears**

"March young lady!" A young woman instructed Rebuke while pointing towards the rooms upstairs.

The black haired girl crossed her arms and pouted at how strict her mom was being. She held her head up high and stomped up the staircase that her mother was pointing at.

After Rebuke made her way to her room and shut the door, her mother sighed in annoyance from back downstairs and began to bow profusely to Chief Shiro standing in front of her. "Chief Shiro! I can not thank you enough for saving my daughter from that dragon even though you're not on the front line right now. Please! Take home the rest of the chicken and rice I made and share it with your wife."

Chief Shiro chuckled at the embarrassed couple standing before him. He accepted the tray of food and reassured them. "Rika and Kenji? Please don't worry about it. All I want is for Rebuke and Iketani to stay safe since they're so young and curious. I already told Rebuke not to play in the forest anymore. It's just too dangerous nowadays with all these dragon sightings." He finished speaking while calling the parents by their name. He then began to head towards the front of the house.

The couple smiled in gratitude and lead their village's chief to the entrance. Kenji opened the door for him and they were all met with a blast of cold air from the darkness of the night. "I'm betting with all that armor you're wearing, the cold doesn't faze you one bit." The father joked to Shiro.

"It's not the armor that keeps me warm. It's your wife's amazing food and the fact that I know Rebuke and Iketani are safe. If you ever need me or any of the other soldiers, let us know since you're not on duty right now. You don't need to go out of your way when we've here to protect you. We'll make sure that dragon Rebuke saw doesn't get anywhere near our village. You can rest assure and enjoy the rest of you night." The chief smiled and bowed as an appreciation for Kenji's war efforts. He then gave the family a quick salute before turning around to navigate through the endless darkness.

The married couple smiled back at him and waved back at his fading figure in the distance. " **Stop by any time you're not busy**!" They yelled in unison.

Kenji led Rika back into the house while he closed the wooden door behind him. "I think it's time we went to bed. Let's both agree that we've had enough surprises for one night." Rika suggested while embracing Kenji. The father simply smiled in response and separated himself from Rika. He then held his wife's hand firmly while leading her upstairs to their room on the other end of the hallway from the two children.

Rebuke had nothing better to do but change into a pair of warm pajamas. She threw the white dress she was wearing into one of the corners of her room and shut off the lights. The black haired girl groaned in annoyance, hopped into her bed, and curled up into a ball while she wrapped the large blanket around her.

After a few minutes, she pressed her knees against her chest and groaned to herself softly. "Mom and dad are never going to let me step outside the village after what happened today. At least it could be worse. I made a new friend who I know won't hurt my village and Iketani didn't tell on me." The small girl's breathing slowly became more relaxed as her mind drifted off into sleep. " _Does… Does Atlas Flame view me as his friend? He told me before he left that he still hates humans. How do I know he isn't… Isn't-"_ Rebuke never got to finish her thoughts. Her mind fell into a peaceful sleep before she had the chance to. All that mattered that Atlas Flame was safe and she knew that he wasn't going to harm her because of her help. That included her village.

* * *

Deep into the night of the village, an ear piercing screech rattled throughout the darkened sky. The screech was followed by a shock wave and an explosion that sounded as if it was coming from the other side of the village. Rebuke bolted upright in her bed and wrapped herself in the blanket out of fear for what caused her to wake up. She staggered out of bed and dragged it into the hallway and towards her parents room to ask them what was happening.

The black haired girl was too scared to bother knocking before entering the room. When Rebuke opened the door, she was confused to see Iketani half asleep on their bed rubbing his eyes.

Rika was frantically running around the room and stopped for a moment to sloppily throw off the covers in an attempt to fully waken the young boy who couldn't help falling asleep on their bed. The mother tossed on a presentable outfit over the underwear she was sleeping in. She chucked a pair of surgical scrubs into a medical bag and a doctor's lab coat as well.

Kenji began to put on a suit of steel armor resting on a stand towards the corner of the room. Once he was fully suited up, he armed himself with a steel sword next to his bed an unsheathed it without hesitation.

" **SHH-Ting!** " The sound of the sword rang throughout the room.

This caused Rebuke to cower in fear and start stuttering. "Muh- Mom… Dad… What's going on?" The young girl groggily rubbed her eyes and yawned.

The mother threw her bag towards the door and rushed to where Rebuke was standing and kissed the black haired girl on her forehead. Tears began to well up Rika's eyes while she began to speak. "Rebuke? I need you to listen to me. Our village might be under attack by dragons. You need to take Iketani and escape to the forest where the chief found you playing earlier today. The two of you will be safe there until we're done defending the village. Your father will guide you there and he'll come back to the village and help the rest of the army."

"Whuh- Where are you going?" The girl asked. She was too sleepy to comprehend the severity of what was going on.

The mom confidently smiled to her daughter in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm a trauma surgeon. There's only one thing for me to do: patch up our friends."

Rika stood back up to meet her husband who was in his armor. Before Kenji could put on his face plate, she kissed him deeply on his lips and then separated herself from him. "Kenji? Take the kids to the forest and tell them to hide there until the battle is over."

"I know honey; I know. I'll tell them where to stay put and I'll come straight back to the hospital to help protect you and the rest of the wounded soldiers from those dragons." The father reassured his wife.

"Remember, none of you stop running for anything. Don't stop if you forgot something behind, don't stop if you see a dragon, and don't stop if you're attacked. Do you understand?"

"Rika…? I love you." The father nodded while embracing his wife one last time before he left.

"I… I love you to." Rika nodded with tears staining her face. She separated himself from her husband one last time and kneeled down to where Rebuke and Iketani were standing in front of them. She grouped them together and kissed them both on the cheeks. "Rebuke? Iketani? I love you. Don't ever forget that. Keep each other safe and I'll see the both of you when the battle is won." She finished with a small grin. The mother then bolted out the house and took the shortest path to the trauma center before Rebuke and Iketani could even say anything.

The father patted his kids on the back and instructed. "Run out of the house and go to the forest. I'll be running behind you every step of the way and I'll protect you if something happens, so don't stop running for anything even if I have to fight a dragon."

Iketani yawned again and began to speak. "How long will it take to-"

"GO!" Their father barked.

This command snapped Rebuke out of her trance. She threw he blanket towards a corner of the room, grabbed Iketani's hand, and tugged him towards the hallway with her. The siblings bolted down the staircase at the end and out the front door. The condition of their village around them caused Iketani to lose his composure.

The young boy began to stagger to a halt which caused Rebuke to slow down. He looked to the buildings surrounding the dirt road and noticed they were slowly being consumed by flames in the distance. In the sky to the left above the burning buildings were a group of dragons that were clearing their path though anything standing in their way. A silver colored dragon diverted his attention from destroying the church in the distance to a group of soldiers attacking him from below.

The dragon snorted in disgust. Without even saying a word, the dragon swept his arm towards the troops and slammed the small group of soldiers away from him. Their bodies flew parallel to the ground at a startling speed and were splattered against a building across from where the dragon was attacking.

Rebuke didn't wait any longer. She heard their father running down the stairs behind them which caused her to tug Iketani's arm again in distress. She began to drag him as fast as possible towards the forest in the distance which caused her younger brother to whimper.

"Ruh- Rebuke… We need to help those soldiers that were hurt by that dragon! They're bleeding everywhere on that building they were hit on!"

"Iketani… They're dead." Rebuke sniffled at the brutal sight she witnessed. "If we even try to help them that silver dragon will see us. Dad won't be able to protect me long enough to try and heal them." She paused to look backwards. A couple mere feet behind them was their father nodding in approval. The whole time his armor was clanging with every step he took.

Iketani was already getting tired. The two siblings were pushing their bodies to the limits for five minutes. Rebuke noticed this and looked at her brother who was panting heavily. His sprint now turned into a labored stagger. "C'mon Iketani! The forest is right in front of us! Just wait a couple more minutes and we'll get there. Dad's right behind us, do don't you worry!" The black haired girl reassured him with the sound of their father's steel armor clanging behind them.

"Rebuke. I can't go on. I think I'm going to… **BBBBlllleeeeeegggghhhhhhhh!"** The young boy choked while while falling to the ground. He wretched in agony while yesterday's dinner spilled from his stomach and onto the ground.

"Iketani you need to get up!" Rebuke encouraged while attempting to lift her brother out of his own bile lying on the ground. Iketani tried to stand up, but he didn't have the energy to do so.

Kenji picked up his pace and immediately approached Iketani out of concern. He kneeled down to his son and tried to pick him up, but the boys weight combined with how the bile on his clothes caused him to slip from his father's armor which stopped him from being carried. Kenji then turned around where his eyes rested upon the silver dragon from before flying towards them in the distance. He cringed in fear at the massive creature looming over them from afar. There was nothing else for the dragons to destroy now but his family.

The father turned back around and began to command Rebuke. "Rebuke!? DO NOT STOP RUNNING! YOU'RE ALMOST TO THE FOREST. I'LL STAY HERE AND HELP PROTECT IKETANI FROM THE OTHER DRAGONS IN THE VILLAGE. WHEN WE'RE DONE, I'LL HELP BRING IKETANI TO YOU. NOW GO!" Kenji yelled while positioning his body between his son and the dragon that was fast approaching.

Rebuke was now shedding tears furiously. Her tears clouded her vision to the point where she couldn't recognize her father and brother. She wanted to stay and help them, but she knew there was nothing she could do. The black haired girl meekly nodded and mouthed three words to her father and brother before turning around and finishing the remaining trek to the forest. "I love you..."

Kenji smiled back at his daughter running away in the distance. "Thank you Rebuke." He whispered under his breath. He then turned around to see the silver dragon hovering right above Iketani and him. The father rested Iketani's head on the ground and stood up with his sword hoisted above to protect his son from the dragon.

The dragon lifted his leg from above the ground and stomped with full force towards Kenji and Iketani. Kenji looked away expecting the worse.

Just before the dragon could kill the father and son, another figure swooped in from behind the remains of a burning house and knocked the two of them away from the dragon's attack. The figure held up a sword in the father's place that pierced scales on the dragon's leg which caused it to roar in pain and annoyance.

The dragon removed his leg and revealed Chief Shiro standing before them. The chief turned around and confidently smirked at Iketani and Kenji lying on the ground. "You're not fighting this monster alone old friend! Let's teach it a lesson or two about having some manners around our village!"

* * *

Rebuke was already running through the middle of the forest. She followed the instructions her mother and father gave her and didn't look back. She didn't even look back to see that Chief Shiro was helping her father and Iketani fight the silver dragon.

The black haired girl knew that there weren't many placed in the forest to hide from dragons since they had such good senses. She ran up to the crater's ledge where she met Atlas Flame and slid all the way to the center. She threw herself on the ground and covered herself in as much soot as possible to camouflage herself in fear that a dragon might find her.

Once her pajamas were a charred black color, she curled up in a ball because she still couldn't even comprehend everything that was happening. _"This… This is just a nightmare. When I wake up, mom and dad will be_ _next to my bed ready to help_ _me._ _Iketani will be downstairs eating breakfast and everything will be happy._ _"_ She concluded while falling asleep in the crater.

The small girl's mind ached from how tired she was from all the running and waking up so early. Throughout the cold night, Rebuke's body wracked violently because her pajamas were the only thing protecting her from the bitter cold night. She could barely feel her her fingers and toes that were exposed to the air around her.

Her body continued to toss in turn for the next few hours. She reached out to grab a pillow to support her head lying in the crater but instead dug her hands straight into dirt and soot. Rebuke groggily opened her eyes to see where her pillow was. When she realized where she was, all she could do was weep. "I'm… I'm still in the crater. Thuh- That means… IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!" She completely broke down in tears while crying to herself in frustration and sadness. "I'm hungry. I can't feel my feet anymore. I feel sick. My body is sore. I have dirt in my hair and mouth." She listed out loud. "I… I want my mommy and da-"

Rebuke then paused out of slight hope and realized something. She shot up from the ground and staggered to her bare feet. "Mom and dad are probably still fighting those dragons!" She yelled while scrambling up the crater. The black haired girl climbed back on the ledge and started bolting back towards her village. "I wonder if those dragons were here to find Atlas Flame..." Her mouth then went agape while she cheered in her mind. " _ATLAS FLAME! ATLAS FLAME'S EYE!_ _He could help protect the village from those other dragons or tell them not to hurt us anymore_ _._ _Chief Shiro and the other soldiers are probably still fighting, so maybe I could sneak back to the house and get the eye from my dress!"_

Rebuke was so happy and relieved from what she remembered that she failed to see her village. She weaved her way through the last few trees of the forest and stopped at what she smelled. The scent of burning houses and steel armor filled the air which snapped her out of her hopeful state.

Not one building in the village was left standing. All the roofs were burned off and scorched bricks were littered across the dirt paths. Patches of silver were scattered across the ground. Rebuke slowly leaned in to see what the silver spots were and quickly shook her head once she realized what she was looking at. Dead soldiers. Only one word crossed her mind. "No." She meekly whispered out loud.

Rebuke staggered onto the dirt path below from the forest and weaved through the endless sea of corpses. She held her head high in order to not look at the dismembered body parts scattered across the dirt path and ground. All she did was continue to make a beeline to her house.

The black haired girl didn't bother searching for her parents or brother. Not only was she too tired and scared to look at more dead bodies, but there wasn't a sound coming from anywhere. Tears began to mix with the mucus pooling up above her lips when she realized that her family wasn't coming back.

Rebuke slowly peered around the last house building was in front of her home to see her house completely leveled. Small flames were flickering from the scorched bricks. Just before she could collapse from how lightheaded she felt, she staggered to her belongings scattered across the road.

"There's… There's my dress. Maybe it was blasted into the road when our house was destroyed." The black haired girl concluded. She walked up to the dirty dress and removed the charcoal eye out from its pocket and began to speak to herself briefly. "These dragons were probably looking for Atlas Flame and saw our village. He could have been with the rest of them, but why does it matter at this point? I have nothing else to lose." She spoke darkly while bringing the black rock up to her lips.

She pressed her lips against the center of it without hesitation. Immediately, a torrent of flames appeared before her eyes on the dirt road. When the flames disappeared, a large dragon made entirely of flames stood in its place.

Atlas Flame stared directly into Rebuke's shadowed eyes. Before he got the chance to speak, he looked around his surroundings and noticed that the black haired girl's village was completely destroyed. Dead bodies littered the ground which caused the dragon's one eye to widen out of shock. "So this is the true power of my kind..." He managed to utter and piece two and two together.

Rebuke responded one she heard Atlas Flame react to the remains of her village. "Atlas Flame…? My family and friends are dead. The rest of my village is destroyed and I have nowhere to live anymore. Dragons came to our village last night looking for you and ended up doing this." She began to weep again while gesturing to her surroundings.

Atlas Flame couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the black haired girl. He began to lower his voice and speak in a fatherly tone. "You saved my life yesterday, and I gave you my eye to summon me if you ever needed my assistance. It is only fitting that I repay that debt. What is it that you request from me?"

The young girl debated it in her mind shortly before making her ridiculous request. "Since you're the only friend I have left… Can I please live with you so you can teach me magic?"

The flaming dragon gawked at this request and roared. "That is a terrible idea! I am a dragon and you are a human. Why would you want to do that in the first place?"

Rebuke couldn't help but muster a small mile at the dragon's antics. "I want to live with you so we can show Earthland that it's not impossible for dragons and humans to live together without fighting. No one else needs to die anymore like my mommy and daddy. There's enough land for us to both live on, and learning magic could help show both sides that everyone can live together! We can fight the dragon's that still don't listen to us to show them that our friendship is more important than killing us for food!"

"Humans killed my fellow dragons for more land, that is the reason why I despise your kind. However, I never thought I would see the day where another human would relate to me. We now understand each other, and as long as you realize the long and tedious fight ahead of us by doing this, I will be willing to make you my squire."

"I'll take it!" The black haired girl nodded.

"I wasn't finished. We now know how ruthless both our sides are. By forming this alliance and teaching you magic, there will humans and dragons alike who will jump at the opportunity to kill both you and me. Your parents will not be the last ones you see hurt."

Rebuke hiccuped then nodded with confidence. "My mom was a doctor and my dad was a soldier. I've seen the people they had to patch up and the battles they fought. I want to make them proud by showing them that there is a future for humans."

Atlas Flame sighed in slight annoyance and extended his claw out in front of him for Rebuke to accept. "This is your last time to change your mind. If you want, I can still take you to a safe village on the east side of Ishgar where you will never see another dragon harm you again. The villages there are safe and there are adoption centers that would accept you. There's plenty of food, comfort, families, and places where you can go to school. Just say the word and we can go there. However, if you accept my claw, there is no turning back once you've seen too much."

Rebuke didn't hesitate. She held out her small hand and accepted Atlas Flame's claw. With that, the dragon erupted in a torrent of flames that consumed both him and the young girl holding his claw. The flames formed into a massive vortex which could have been seen for hundreds of miles by the other villages of Ishgar. The vortex raged freely for a couple of seconds before slowly dissipating into embers in the air. Atlas Flame and Rebuke were gone.

* * *

Scene Change – Present Day Time

The campsite's fire had long went out and not one of the members of the Magical Alliance noticed. They were all leaning towards Natsu for him to continue the story while finishing their dinner rations. Instead of picking back up where he left off, the Dragon Slayer yawned and got up from his seat next to the pit. He stretched his body and cracked his neck while speaking. "And that's the story of how the first Dragon Slayer was born. Anyways, I guess it's time for bed." He commanded while laying out all the sleeping bags.

This caused everyone to sweatdrop. " **WHAT?!** " They all yelled in unison.

Sherria was the first to start stuttering. "Wuh- We can't go to bed! You haven't finished the story! It was just starting to get happy!"

Ichiya and the rest of the Trimens also sided with the pink haired girl. "Master Natsu? It's not even midnight yet! We still have time to finish it before going to sleep."

Even Jura and Kagura were interested in what happened to Rebuke and Atlas Flame. Before anyone else could begin encouraging Natsu to continue the story, he sighed out loud in disappointment. "The truth is… I don't know the ending to the story. Igneel told me it the night before he left me. That's all I was able to hear before I fell asleep next to him."

Jura got up from his seat and complimented the Dragon Slayer. "Master Natsu? Whether or not you know the ending to the story, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history or Dragon Slayer magic. Maybe one day it would be possible to find the missing pieces to it. Humanity continues to live on, but the rest of us want to know what happened to the dragons."

Natsu chuckled at the Earth Mage. "Thanks for believing it. If I told this to my guild mates who passed away two years ago, I can't say they would've believed me."

Lyon then began to lead Sherria to a sleeping bag to get changed. The pink haired girl started to prepare for bed while Lyon spoke. "I'm assuming you mean Gray? Sometimes he didn't understand that a giant demon named Deliora destroying Earthland isn't any more or less likely then a dragon training you. It's one of the reasons when he told me he was becoming an S-Class mage that I told him he still had lots to learn about being a Fairy Tail Guild member. It's good to see you move past that and what he did to your leg." The Ice Mage finished while changing his clothes behind a tree.

Natsu smiled in gratitude and shrugged. "It's not like anything can be done about it now." A short silence fell upon the camp while the rest of the mages finished preparing for bed. They took turns changing behind the trees if they brought extra clothes.

Everyone eventually crawled into their sleeping bags which caused Jura began to take a seat that overlooked Clover Town. "I will take the first watch. You get some sleep Master Natsu." He offered while sitting upright while looking over the guild hall in the distance.

Natsu chuckled and tapped on his ear while speaking. "No need to keep watch. I'll hear anything suspicious. Everyone just needs to get some sleep before tomorrow." The Guild Master reassured while closing his eyes in his sleeping bag. He took off his cloak, chain armor, and boots and placed them next to his belongings.

Kagura sighed in relief after hearing this. "It's good that you volunteered to help Reedus on the mission." She finished by joking. The purple haired mage then removed her white blazer and boots and placed them next to her belongings. She loosened her red tie on her undershirt but kept her black tights on. The only object that she kept inside her sleeping bag was Archenemy.

"Oui! I agree with Kagura. Master Natsu knows that I'm not a morning person from all the training Fairy Tail does." Reedus added and didn't bother undressing like Natsu and Kagura. He noticed that his guild mates had no pajamas with them because of their S-Class quest's short notice. The Pict mage took out a light pen from his pocket and scribbled a simple design on his stomach.

A cloud of dust surrounded all three of the Fairy Tail mages which caused Natsu and Kagura to sit up out of surprise.

Natsu cheered at the pair of black shorts and white t-shirt he was now wearing. This replaced his black t-shirt and black jeans. "No way! You were able to give me pajamas!" He exclaimed in shock.

Kagura was given a modest black nightgown which matched her purple hair. Her tights were removed which revealed the skin to her lower legs. "Thuh- Thank you Reedus." She managed to stutter out of gratitude.

Reedus smiled at their reactions. "The spell will wear off once you try putting your other clothes back on. Then you'll go back to having whatever you wear normally."

"Thanks again Reedus! Anyways, we should really go to sleep. The last thing we need is for Kagura of all people to be cranky in the morning because we stayed up too late" Natsu finished by teasing.

"What was that?" Kagura turned to face Natsu's sleeping bag next to hers.

"Nothing! Good night guys!" Natsu said while closing his eyes and pretending to snore.

This caused the rest of the mages to laugh. Jura stoichally replied to his antics. "As humorous as Master Natsu is being, I suggest we do the same. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." The Earth Mage suggested while slowly drifting off into sleep with the rest of the mages.

* * *

"Mph… What time is it?" Kagura muttered while fluttering her eyes open. The purple haired girl reluctantly sat up in her sleeping bag, rubbed the bags under her eyes, and looked around the campsite. Everyone else was still in their sleeping bags except for the one next to hers. It was folded neatly and placed next to the rest of the group's belongings. She then noticed Natsu on the other side of the camp relighting a small fire using his magic.

She got out of her sleeping bag, folded it neatly, and placed it next to her clothing.

" _I suppose now would be a good time so see if Master Natsu likes a taste of his own medicine."_ Kagura deviously smirked at the Dragon Slayer teasing her yesterday about having a direct personality.

She slowly began to sneak up behind the Dragon Slayer making sure her feet didn't generate any noise. Before she got the chance to grab him by the shoulders violently in an attempt to scare him, Natsu smirked and spoke softly. "It's 7:00 Kagura." He chuckled slightly while not turning around.

This caused the purple haired mage to sigh. "I knew your hearing was powerful, but I didn't know it was that powerful." She stated while walking over to her belongings. Kagura grabbed her clothing and walked back towards where Natsu was making another fire pit. She sat across from him with her nightgown and warmed herself up slightly with the flames.

Natsu looked up and warmly smiled. "That gown looks good on you. It matches your hair."

This caused Kagura to genuinely smile at him. "Thank you Master Natsu. I will have to ask Reedus if he can let me keep it. What are you doing up this early anyways?"

"I decided to get changed so I know I'm not in a rush to leave. Plus, I decided to make breakfast for all of us. Try it." Natsu said while handing Kagura a small bowl of broth that was over the fire pit.

Kagura accepted it and sipped the savory liquid. She licked her lips which caused her eyes to glisten slightly. "Master Natsu? With all due respect, this might be better than Kinana's cooking! Where did you learn how to cook?"

"Ever since the Tenrou Group vanished, our guild was been strapped on cash up until now because of our lack of S-Class mages. I was hoping that this mission could change it for the better with a good reward, but you already know that by now. I've been so busy as Guild Master lately that I haven't been able to go out on many jobs aside from the occasional S-Class quest. Kinana always told me that since I was doing so much to interact with everyone on a daily basis along with do everything to support Fairy Tail, all the food at the bar would be on her."

"Then why did you learn how to cook?"

"Because I don't deserve to eat for free over anyone else. All my other guild members are struggling just as much as me to support Fairy Tail, so why should I get a free pass just because I'm Guild Master? So in my free time I would go back up to my house in Magnolia Forest and learn to cook."

"That's really kind of you Master Natsu." Kagura gushed at how thoughtful her Guild Master was. She put the bowl of soup down and started to smile slightly.

Natsu stared leaned over the fire pit and stared into Kagura's hazel eyes. His tone changed to a serious one while he began to speak. "You know? Sometimes I find it hard to believe that you're the same person I met at Men and Mages two years back. You've still got a long way to go while understanding how to overcome Simon's death, but the way you now open up your emotions around everyone else like how you described you did with Simon means that you're slowly beginning to move on from everything that's happened to you. Ach… It might sound to you that I'm just rambling, but that's the same way I felt when I lost Erza, Mira, Gray, Happy, Gramps, and everyone else. That was until I realized what Porlyusica told me about valuing my other Nakama. Don't ever feel like you don't have a family." He finished while smiling.

Kagura couldn't help but slightly blush at this complement. She then said something without even thinking. Her Guild Master's kindness and radiating warmth caused her eyes to bulge at what she was about to say. "Master Natsu? I think you have the wrong idea. I'm definitely learning to interact with the rest of our guild mates and they're helping me move on from Simon, but the only time I think that I fully open up and smile... is when I'm with-

"My Honey? Might I say how lovely you look this morning!"

"ICHIYA!" Kagura yelped and flustered in annoyance. She stood up and turned around because she couldn't believe the nerve of the short man who crept up on her from behind.

Ichiya began to twirl around the campsite and wake up the rest of the Trimens as well as the other mages who were still sleeping. Natsu and Kagura simply looked at each other and chuckled at the short man's antics. "It's been great getting to talk to you Kagura. If you like my soup so much, maybe you could come over to my house some other time and we could have dinner together." He suggested while standing up.

"That would be nice. I'll have to take up your word on that Master Natsu." Kagura smiled. Once her Guild Master turned around to tend to the rest of the campsite, Kagura put on a fake smile as uncertainty ushered over her body at what she was about to tell Natsu.

The rest of the Magical Alliance began to groggily wake up and greet the other mages. Once they all finished changing out of their sleepwear, the mages rolled their sleeping bags and placed it next to their belongings.

Kagura and Natsu tried to put their shirts back on their upper bodies. This caused the rest of their clothes off to the side along with the sleepwear on their bodies to form another cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, their sleepwear dissapeared and was replaced with all their original clothing.

"I guess we're all ready to leave! I made us some breakfast so we won't have to fight this guild on an empty stomach. Dig in everyone!" Natsu toothily grinned while gesturing towards the smaller fire pit.

* * *

"Master Natsu? You're like the best chef ever! That soup was amazing!" Sherria began to chirp while jumping around the Guild Master.

Lyon shook his head and held his finger over her mouth. "Not so loud Sherria. The last thing we need is for this Dark Guild to know we're coming."

"Speaking of Dark Guilds, did you notice anything strange about their guild hall since you woke up so early?" Jura asked Master Natsu while continuing to walk down the cobblestone path.

Natsu frowned at this question. "Now that you mention it, something doesn't seem right. Their guild hall is way too quiet."

"What do you mean Master Natsu? I thought you said that you saw their leader come to unlock the front doors."

"He did, but you learn something about guilds over the years of being Guild Master. There's always people waiting for you to open the doors. I didn't see anyone waiting outside when their leader came. Is today Monday?"

Ichiya chipped in from the side. "Yes men! We met at Kardia Cathedral yesterday evening. What does that have to do with your suspicions?"

Natsu chuckled at Ichiya's question. "What does it have to do with me being suspicious? It puts it to rest. They're having a Sunday night hangover. That'll make it easier for us to find out what these sick bastards are doing. It happens all the time at Fairy Tail which is why I lock the guild for Reedus and the others before leaving."

Jura changed the topic once he heard this. "So how do we plan on attacking this Dark Guild?" He stated while they continued on the back roads to the guild hall.

"First off, we're taking the back roads for a reason. Let's just say we happen to run into one of their guild members on the way over to the hall because we used the main roads, that would be a bit of a problem for us."

"Oui." Reedus nodded in agreement form next to the Guild Master.

"We'll reach the front door using the side entrance of the courtyard. The thing is, this guild hall isn't in a good place for us to attack since it's on top of a plateau with the forest behind it. Once we're clear of these buildings around us, I'd say we'd be able to be seen by people inside the guild hall for around a minute before we actually get into the courtyard. That's where you come in Reedus." Natsu smiled to the Pict mage.

"Pardon?"

"I want you to draw boars that we can ride on so we're able to cross the plateau as fast as possible. That way, we won't be seen."

"Consider it done!" Reedus nodded while beginning to scribble a detailed sketch on his stomach.

Jura decided to intervene as the group began to approach the end of the village. "Where would you like us positioned?"

"The minute the attack starts, I want Jura to block the entrance off with his Earth Magic so no one else can enter or exit the guild. After that, our roles depend on the guild's structure. We know there's a basement since we saw what happened to Wataru, so I want Kagura and Reedus to be the ones tasked with clearing it out. Gather any evidence that could help us locate their Headquarters." He instructed his two guild members. "Lyon, Sherria, and the Trimens will clear out the main floor. Jura and me go to the second floor and find whoever their leader is. I want him to come with me because I have no idea how strong this guy is going to be. If there isn't a second floor, we'll help clear out the main level until we find whoever this leader is."

Jura nodded in agreement. "Very well thought out. I didn't even consider using my Earth Magic to block the entrance. This way, their mages have no way of escaping."

"That means a lot coming from you Jura!" Natsu rubbed his head sheepishly before getting serious. "We're almost into the open. Are you ready Reedus?"

"Oui!" The Pict mage said confidently. A deathly silence fell upon the duo while Reedus finished his drawing. A cloud of dust appeared beside all the mages. When the dust vanished, there was a boar beside each mage. Reedus hopped on top of one which encouraged everyone else to follow his lead. "Hold on tight and don't scream. We're about to take off. Is everyone ready?"

Lyon grabbed Sherria and covered her mouth just to make sure she didn't scream. Reedus surveyed the other mages who were nodding in approval. Everyone grabbed onto the small tusks of the boar for support while Reedus commanded the stampede to start sprinting. "Let's go!" He quietly snapped.

The boars took off towards the guild at a breakneck speed. In a matter of seconds, the boars were already stealthily slowing down to a halt inside the guild's courtyard. Once they came to a stop, Lyon reluctantly removed his hand over Sherria's mouth which stopped her from screaming out of absolute terror at what happened. Kagura and Jura were the only ones unfazed at the speed they just traveled.

Reedus chuckled lightly at what happened. "Oui! Thanks for not screaming." He whispered under his breath. The group of boars then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Natsu went up to Reedus and patted the Pict mage on the back. He then began to whisper extremely quietly. "I want all of you to wait out here. Let me go inside the guild hall and see if I can get a surprise attack off from inside. When you hear all hell break loose, that's when you follow through with the attack we planned."

Lyon chuckled lightly a Natsu's surprise attack. "Some things never change. Isn't that right Master Natsu?"

"Of course they don't. I'm all fired up now." With that, Natsu gave one last toothy smile to Kagura and Reedus. "I'll see you guys in a bit. Stay safe." Natsu instructed. He then separated himself from the Magical Alliance off to the side of the guild and walked up to the front entrance. The Dragon Slayer raised his cloak slightly to cover his facial features. He then opened the front doors without hesitation and entered the dimly lit guild.

" _Yup. Just like I thought. These bastards are completely zonked."_ Natsu sweatdropped while casually strolling to the bar's counter. There were dozens of mages littered around the guild and were all too drunk to get up to see who entered. Many were sleeping on the table while others were drooling in their seats on the wings of the guild. Even though it was barely lit inside, his eyesight was able to pick up on the general layout of everything. " _Perfect. There's a second floor which probably leads to the leader's office. I can also see the staircase to the basement. It's in the same place Fairy Tail keeps our infirmary!"_

He approached the bar to see a very attractive woman with brown hair cleaning cups for anyone else who wanted a drink at the bar. She was wearing a revealing black dress that showed her cleavage and hugged her hourglass figure.

The woman seductively smiled and leaned on the counter to greet Natsu. "What can I do for you honey?"

"I'm looking to join." He evilly smirked.

"Do you already have an appointment planned? If you don't, I'm going to need some contact information from you in order to schedule a meeting with our leader."

Natsu's evil smirk turned to one of understanding. He was going to see how much information he could get out of this woman. "That's the thing! I'm supposed to have an appointment with him right now. Should I just go upstairs to his office?" He completely guessed while beginning to walk to the staircase.

"Honey! You're not allowed to go up to the second floor unless you're a member! I'll contact our leader over Lacrima to see if he's ready for you." The woman finished by smiling. She pulled out an orb from beneath the counter and began to contact the guild's leader.

Natsu casually apologized. "Oh! I'm sorry. This is the first guild I plan on joining so I'm not too familiar with you rules."

"Don't worry about it baby. All I need is your appointment ticket and I'll scan it with the Lacrima. If it accepts it, I'll call our leader downstairs to introduce you to him." She reassured Natsu. The woman then held out her hand awaiting the appointment ticket.

Natsu was too stunned at what she told him to react. " _These dumb asses are clueless! I got her to tell me that their leader has to come downstairs to meet me! I bet their leader of this guild is their Guild Master since it's obvious that they're not smart enough to distribute authority."_

" **Ahem…** **?** " The woman gestured for the appointment ticket.

Natsu snapped out of his stunned state and pretended to act flustered. "Aww crap! I forgot my appointment ticket back at my house. Let me give you my name and I think you'll remember me from around a week ago." He offered the woman.

"I wish I could do that sweetie, but my leader won't allow it because of security reasons."

Natsu's facial expression started to get darker his body began to tense up. He began to spit out every word with hostility. "Are you sure you wouldn't be able to remember my name? A lot of people know me! I'm the 6th Wizard Saint of Fiore and a member of the Magic Council. Doesn't Wataru Akiyama ring a bell around here?"

The woman's face turned a ghostly white upon hearing this. Before she could react, Natsu leapt on top of the car counter and ignited his hand with raging flames. " _ **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**_!" He roared while sucker punching the woman across the bar. She crashed into a wall off to the side and instantly passed out from pain.

Out of nowhere, all the lights to the barely lit guild hall turned on. One of the mages that Natsu thought was hungover stood up and shouted as loud as he could. "HE'S HERE!" This caused all the other mages who Natsu thought were incapacitated to stand up and focus their spells towards the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu propelled himself upwards towards the second floor using his fire to avoid the barrage of Dark magic launched at him. When the spells connected at the bar, a large explosion rang throughout the guild hall.

This cause the rest of the Magical Alliance to burst through the front doors. "ATTACK!" Jura commanded the other mages to do.

Once all the mages funneled into the guild, Jura immediately turned around and blocked off the entrance to the guild. _**"Iron Rock Wall!**_ " He chanted while raising his hands from the ground. Massive pillars of rock jetted out of the ground and wedged into the door's frame which prevented anyone from using the entrance. While the rest of the Magical Alliance broke up, he jogged towards the bar counter and chanted the same spell again below his feet. " _ **Iron Rock Wall!**_ " He activated the spell. Another rock pillar jetted from the ground and lifted him to the second floor where Natsu was waiting for him.

The Earth Mage jumped over the balustrade and heard Natsu curse out loud. "Jura! They knew we were coming. The two of us can still take on the leader together. He's still here because when I talked to the person managing the bar, she said that he would come down to meet me if I had an appointment to meet with him."

"Let's go then!" The Earth mage gestured towards the second staircase. Natsu then lead the Earth Mage to the office at his side.

* * *

Kagura and Reedus saw everyone breaking up to take care of the Dark mages. The two mages nodded to each other in agreement. Kagura held Archenemy to her side and started bolting towards where she saw the staircase to the basement. Reedus followed behind her to the best of his capabilities. "Reedus? I think this is the way to the basement. Fairy Tail's infirmary is located in the same place!"

"Oui!" The Pict mage agreed. Kagura burst open the door to the basement and allowed Reedus to enter. She turned around, closed the door, and locked the door behind them.

The mages then dashed down the stairs and entered the basement. They were surprised at what what they saw. There was only one narrow hallway leading to the end of the basement. Off to the side of the hallway were prison cells that had empty racks, shelves lined with guild files, and restraints for any inmates. There were no experimental subjects anywhere. Kagura and Reedus also didn't see any Lacrimas on the racks like the ones that Wataru was experimented with.

The duo began to cautoinsly walk through the hallway when they heard rustling coming from the cell on the other end of the basement. "Hurry up and finish pouring that gasoline on this shelve! If you screw this up and leave any evidence remaining, I'll let the Guild Master know that I just found two extra candidates willing to be experimental subjects for Lacrima implants." A Dark mage mage threatened without remorse.

" **Yes sir!** " The two mages bowed and scrambled to set fire to the cell.

The mage who threatened the two Dark mages left the cell which allowed Kagura and Reedus to see his appearance. The mage had messy black hair and thin lips with Gothic lipstick. The man was wearing a skivvy and had shorts with a scaly pattern on them. Beneath the shorts were a pair of leggings tucked into black boots.

"What do you want us to do with the other shelves?" One of the mages reluctantly asked while continuing to pour gasoline.

"There's nothing important in them. Just different techniques on how we do Lacrima implants. There's also a good amount of data that we collected. It's not important though since we have copies of all our data back at HQ." The Dark mage outside the cell widened his eyes when he remembered something. "Oh! And don't forget to get the files beneath the operating table-"

The man never got the chance to finish. Kagura surprised the Dark mage by bolting from the staircase with Reedus at her side. She drew Archenemy and slashed at the man in the hallway at a lightning fast speed.

The man heard Kagura charging at him and jumped towards the wall because he was expecting to be attacked. He flipped backwards off the wall over Kagura's head and positioned himself in between the purple haired mage and Reedus.

Kagura was the first to speak. She glared at the slim mage a spoke coldly. "You're surrounded on both sides. Surrender and drop the gasoline or we will attack!" She threatened. Reedus continued by painting a stamped of boars on his stomach which appeared next to him in a cloud of dust.

The two mages inside the cell stopped pouring gasoline to help the Dark mage in the hallway. The Dark mage in between Kagura and Reedus turned to the other two and snapped. "Don't stop pouring that gas! I'll let you know when I need your help!"

"That is a mistake you'll regret." Kagura spat. She began to charge towards the Dark mage with her sword and thrust it towards his chest.

Without any effort, the slim man raised his arm and stopped the sword with his bear hand. The scabbard cut deep into his hands and blood started to drip onto the ground.

The creepy man began to maniaclly laugh. "Do you honestly think that we didn't know who the Magic Council was going to send to stop us? We knew all along about that Lacrima feed inside Wataru's body which meant the Magic Council was going to send more strong mages to come and stop us. That means we researched every strong mage that's apart of Fairy Tail. Have you already forgotten that our expertise is experimenting with them? Finding one implanted in his vision didn't even require us digging inside his body. We already have what we stayed for... Kagura Mikazuchi."

Kagura could barely pay attetion to what the man was saying. She was too focussed on the blood pooling on the floor. "You're psychotic for trying to stop my sword's scabbard with your bear hands."

The Dark mage continud to hold the scabbard and leaned to whisper into Kagura's ear. "That's not why I caught your sword" The Dark mage smiled evilly. He leaned back fron her ear and said one word which activated his spell. " **Mimic.** "

He let go of Kagura's sword as a spell began to materialize in thin air. When the spell ended, an exact copy of Archenemy formed in the air and fell into his blood drenched hands.

"What's wrong Miss Mikazuchi? This is where the fun begins."

* * *

Back on the main floor, the Trimens split up into groups of two and started fighting Dark mages on the wings of the guild. " _ **Power Parume!**_ " Ichiya roared from the left wing. The spell made his body grow massively in size and caused his muscles to bulge. He grabbed Hibiki because he was the weakest of the Trimens and protected him with his left arm. Ichiya used his right arm to charge through the chaotic wing while ramming over any mage in his path.

Lyon protected Sherria and began to clear out any remaining mages trying to make their way through the center of the guild to get to either wing to support the other Dark mages.

Eve and Ren took on the right wing together. Eve began to speak while he grabbed Ren's hand. "Hey Ren? Are you ready to try our new Unison Raid out?"

"I thought you'd never ask." The black haired mage smirked while accepting Eve's grip.

Eve held his free arm out in front of him and formed a white magic circle at his fingertips while Ren did the same with a golden magic circle. They inhaled deeply and chanted their spell just as the Dark mages were about to focus their attacks. " _ **White Blizzard's Aerial Phose!**_ "

A massive blizzard was forced out of Eve's hand while a gale of wind trapped the Dark mages inside a tornado.

"Someone help us! We can't escape! We'll freeze to death!" One of the female mages pleaded.

Another mage who was trapped looked around the room in horror. "Thuh- There's no one left to save us! What was our Guild Master thinking? These monsters completely wiped us all out! If- If someone can hear us, go and find Ku… Kur..." The Dark mage never got the chance to finish saying the person's name. He froze in place with the rest of his guild mates inside the Unison Raid.

Once the pleads turned to silence, Ren and Eve stopped the spell and watched all the frozen bodies fall to the floor. All the other mages of the Magical Alliance finished taking care of the other Dark mages and were looking at the two Trimens in awe.

Lyon sweatdropped at their Unison Raid next to Sherria. "Don't you guys think that was a bit overkill?"

Eve rubbed the back of his head. "Don't worry Lyon. They'll thaw out… I think." He comically joked.

Lyon was about to respond but was interrupted by rummaging at the bar. The woman that Natsu knocked out stood up and began sprinting towards the door. "I'VE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" She frantically screamed and pushed Sherria out of the way. Lyon sighed and held up his arm which turned into pure ice. The woman ran straight into it causing her to get knocked out again.

The Magical Alliance roared in laughter while Sherria began to speak. "Shouldn't you have left her unconscious so you could get information from her?"

Lyon put a hand on Sherria. "These mages won't know anything. I can promise you that much. That's how Dark Guilds work. The only people working at wherever this guild's Headquarters is are mages that their Guild Master can trust. Those mages are going to be a lot stronger than the ones we just fought, so don't get too cocky. Since you didn't get to see those images yesterday, these mages actually store all the information in their basement on bookshelves. I bet the only person allowed to have access to those cells are the leader of this specific guild hall as well as their Guild Master who's probably at their HQ now. That's the reason why we waited for the leader to show up. Master Natsu and Jura are probably fighting him right now. By the time they're done, Kagura and Reedus should be finished clearing out the basement of Dark mages. Then we can go down there and get any information they have."

* * *

Kagura was speechless. She gasped at the weapon her opponent was holding. It was an exact replica of Archenemy.

The Dark mage didn't get the time to attack with his new weapon. Reedus was on the other side of the Dark mage. The Pict mage knew that this was bad and needed to end the fight. "Kagura! Get out of there! I'm going to activate my spell."

Kagura snapped out of her dazed state and gracefully manuevered around the Dark mage and back to where Reedus was standing.

Reedus held out his hand to order the boars to charge the Dark mage when he saw Kagura stand next to him. " _ **Nature, Run Wild!"**_ He chanted. The stampede of boars charged the black haired mage.

The slim man effortlessly used his Dark magic in his other hand to stop the boars from advancing. " _ **Dark Barrage**_!" He smirked. A barage of black orbs were projected from his hand towards the boars.

Each orb connected with a boar and cause them to dissapear in a cloud of smoke. The Dark mage began to chuckle manically and diverted his attention back to the sword he copied. "So this is the famous Archenemy my Guild Master told us about? I wonder what happens if I unsheathe it." The man tried to remove the scabbard, but to no luck. It was almost like the scabbard was apart of the sword and couldn't be removed.

Kagura was now enraged. "How dare you try and unsheathe Archenemy?!" She rushed the Dark mage and attempted to thrust her sword into his chest again only for him to leap back towards the wall. "You coward! Stop using the walls and fight." She yelled in annoyance.

"You want me to fight?" The Dark mage rehotircally asked. "I wonder what happens if I try to use the sword even with the scabbard still on it." He cackled while jumping back to the ground.

This caused Kagura's eyes to widen in fear. "NO! DON'T TRY TO USE ITS MAGIC. YOU HAVEN'T LEARNED HOW TO WIELD IT YET-"

The Dark mage retaliated before Kagura could finish. He closed the distance between them and didn't give her time to react. He swiped the sword in his hands towards Kagura standing in the middle of the hallway. Instead of a clean cut traveling towards her body like the sword was meant to be used, a massive flurry of magic was released from it destroying everything lying in between him and Kagura.

Reedus reflexively jumped out of the attacks way by clinging to the cell bars. He avoided a possibly fatal blow.

Kagura also knew she had to move the moment she saw the man try to use the scabbard. She tried to jump out of the way, but the surge of magic passed straight through her right arm before she could move in time. This caused her to scream in absolute agony. "AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Her body was throw against a cell's bars due to the momentum of her trying to dodge the spell used incorrectly. When she lifted her head to look at the damage inflicted on her body, instead of expecting a deep cut across her appendage that could have been healed easily, her entire right hand and upper arm were torn in multiple places beyond belief which exposed the inner tissue.

Reedus screamed her name in disbilief. "KAGURA!"

Kagura staggered to her feet and raised archenemy in her trembling hand. "You… You bastard. I told you not to use it! You dont know how to use the Style of the Undrawn Sword! What if that spell backfired and hit your guild mates instead of me and got them killed?!" She said while gesturing to the files and books scattered around the cell they were pouring gasoline in.

The Dark mage shook his head and smirked. "In this world, you do whatever you can in order to achieve power and crush your enemies. If it means playing dirty every once in a while, then those are the sacrifices I'm willing to take."

Kagura couldn't bear it anymore. She dropped Archenemy on the ground and fell to the cold floor out of pain. She used her uninjured arm to support her body from the searing agony she was experiencing from her right arm dripping blood onto the stone surface below.

The Dark mage then began to slowly walk towards her.

Reedus wished he could help more, but he was low on magic from helping the Magical Alliance get to the guild hall. He bum rushed the Dark mage in a sad attempt to stop him from reaching Kagura. The Dark mage sighed in annoyance and used the butt of the copied Archenmy to slam against Reedus's chest.

The Pict Mage was blown backwards into the cell bars next to him where he groaned in pain. He tried to get back up, but he didn't have the strength to. All he could do was yell at Kagura with every step the psychotic mage took towards her. "KAGURA?! YOU'VE GOTTA GET UP. I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE MAGIC. YOU STILL HAVE ALL YOUR MAGIC POTENTIAL AND YOU KNOW HOW TO USE ARCHENEMY PROPERLY. IT'S ONLY A LITTLE BLOOD! YOU SAID IT YOURSELF; HE GOT A LUCKY HIT OFF. YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE WAY STRONGER THAN HIM. JUST IGNORE THE FACT THAT HE TRIED TO COPY ARCHENEMY AND KICK HIS ASS!"

The Dark mage finished approaching Kagura and barked at the other two mages who were watching the scene from inside the cell. "We're leaving! Light the evidence and get over here!"

" **Yes sir!"** The two mages responded. They each took out a match from their pocket and struck it against the box it came with. The match was set ablaze and they tossed the open flames into the gasoline. This caused the fire to errupt and spread across the entire cell.

The two mages ran back outside and stood next to the Dark mage examining Dark mage then directed his attention to the two Fairy Tail mages collapsed next to him. "I'm not going to lie. The two of you have more magical potential than me and my other guild mates here. That doesn't mean I'm not going to risk killing anyone if it means I have a chance of beating you." He smirked evilly.

The Dark mage then reached inside his pocket and took out a black gag the color of the lipstick on his mouth. He went behind Kagura and fastened it around her head. She tried to scream for help, but the gag muffled out her pleads.

Reedus tried to comfort her. "Kagura! I'm going to get Master Natsu! Don't worry, Jura blocked off the enterance! These sickos aren't going anywhere." Reedus then tried to stand back up to find his Guild Master, but he collpased in pain from being thrown against the cell.

The Dark mage smirked at Reedus's helplessness. "Who said we were using the enterance?" The Dark mage cackled.

This caused Reedus's eyes to widen. "Wuh- What do you mean?"

"There's a reason why I asked these two mages in specific to burn all the evidence." The Dark mage confiedently smriked down to Reedus while holding Kagura by her hair. He then turned his attention to the two mages standing next to him. "Teleport us back to HQ."

" **Yes sir!** " The two mages replied while resting their hands on the Dark mage's shoulders. The bodies of Kagura and the three Dark mages began to disapear in particles of light that began to seperate from them.

Reedus began to panic. "No… There's no way… Take me instead!" He began to shake his head in frustration, disbilief, and sadness.

The Dark mage shook his head one last without remorse. "Don't try to play hero. You're powerful, but even you know that you're not nearly as powerful as Miss Mikazuchi. We already got what we stayed for, which is another poweful mage. She'll be a perfect subject to experiment with. It's just like our Guild Master said… He knew you Fairy Flies were coming all along. This isn't goodbye. This is farewell… Reedus Jonah." With that, the Dark mage plastered his signature evil grin across his face before completely dissapearing with Kagura and the other two mages into the light. The only thing left of her was Archenmey silently resting on the ground.

Reedus completely broke down in tears out of how helpless he was. The last thing he remembered wasn't the confident smirk the Dark mage had on his face or even the wall of fire consuming the only evidence that they could find Kagura with. It was the fact that for the first time ever, he saw Kagura crying.

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	16. Chapter 16 - A Light In The Dark

**Author's Note:** Here it is guys! Please tell me how my writing style compares to the previous chapters I've uploaded! I know I haven't updated you guy with a chapter in some time, but please tell me if my content seems any different so I can start some improvements.

I'm not going to make any promises concerning when my new Chapter is going to come out. Truth be told, even though I have an idea about the outline of this arc, I don't know what I'm going to be including in the next update specifically. It might take me some time to flesh out some plans.

Once again, please free to recommend ANY additions that you would like to see within a review; I read all of them! As a final parting work, despite my unorthodox absences, I hope all of you enjoy what's to come in the future.

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 16: A Light In The Dark**

Natsu and Jura finished navigating the endless stairwell and were met with an office door in front of them. Natsu turned to the Earth Mage who nodded in agreement to bust it down. Natsu used his elbow to throw it open. When he entered the room with Jura and prepared to attack, Natsu was stunned at the man sitting in the chair across the desk in front of them. "Wait… You're not the guy I saw open the guild!" Natsu spoke completely in awe.

The Dragon Slayer's shocked expression caused the man across from him to eerily cackle and stand up from his seat. The man was wearing a tinted set of armor that made him look like a medieval night.

"Of course I'm not you idiotic boy. I am the Guild Master. But by now you should know that."

Natsu's eyes widened as he opened his mouth to speak. "You're that guy in Wataru's Lacrima vision!"

Even though Natsu couldn't see the Guild Master's face, he could tell that he had a demented grin plastered beneath his mask. "As you can probably tell right now my subordinate is not with me at this moment. He's currently tying up loose ends in our basement by burning the last of our guild's evidence that can be traced back to our headquarters."

Natsu's eye's flared up in excitement. "I guess that means we'll just have to beat some evidence out of you if that's the case." He threatened while taking a battle stance.

Jura cautioned the Dragon Slayer before he could do anything irrational. "Master Natsu? I must suggest for you to please be careful. Something doesn't seem right about him. Think about it. Why would the Guild Master of all this guild's mages be here when he could be communicating over Lacrima to the leader instead?"

The man across the room in armor hoarsely chuckled and responded. "It's a shame that I have to kill you. You're quite the bright one. Truth be told, I'm only here to insure that this specific guild's leader is able to carry out his job correctly. Do you really think that we had no idea Wataru was documenting out guild's basement with Lacrima the entire time he was being experimented on? I knew your first plans as a Magical Alliance would be to come to this guild's basement and see if you could scavenge any documents you could use to find our headquarters."

Natsu was confused as to what the man was implying. "Yeah… And?" The Dragon Slayer questioned.

"Since we're running out of powerful test subjects to experiment on back at our headquarters, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to set a trap for you Fairy Flies since we were going to have to destroy our basement anyways."

The Dragon Slayer couldn't help but sneer at this threat. "If you're talking about Kagura and Reedus, I can promise you that the two of them can kick the ass of you entire HQ when we find out where it is."

Even though Natsu was fully confident in his Nakama's abilities, Jura's eyes slowly began to widen out of fear of the worst. He grabbed Natsu by his shoulder and began turning to the door. "Master Natsu! We need to get to the basement right now. We don't know how powerful the rest of his guildmates are which means Kagura and Reedus might be in-"

Jura never got to complete his sentence. Just as he was about to bolt to the basement with Natsu, a Lacrima on the corner of the Dark Guild Master's desk began to glow slightly.

The Guild Master leaned over and picked up the crystal orb from his desk which caused the image of another man with dark hair and black lipstick to project from it. The man being projected towards the group began to speak to the Dark Guild Master in the room. "It's done sir. The evidence is all burned and we're waiting for you to clean up the rest. We even managed to bag you a new test subject back here at HQ. I think you'll like her a lot." The man being projected cackled before pointing his Lacrima towards the middle of the room he was standing in.

The last thing Natsu and Jura saw was the image of Kagura staring into the Dragon Slayer's confused eyes. She was gagged and her muffled screams filled the inside a metallic cell. Her right arm was completely torn apart from her battle earlier and both of them were bound magical restraint chains from the ceiling. Just before Natsu and Jura could fully comprehend what was going on, the projection was ended with the Guild Master nodding in response and crushing the Lacrima in the palm of his metallic gauntlet.

Seconds of deathly silence past before Natsu was able to realize the situation. His eye's shot open in horror at the image of Kagura's pain burnt inside his mind. He bit his teeth so hard that blood began to seep from his mouth. The Dragon Slayer began to breathe deeply in rage and guilt for not being strong enough to save the purple haired mage. That's all he could feel now that he was able to comprehend the situation. His body began to flare up with his Dragon Slayer magic which nearly scorched Jura's hand trying to comfort his shoulder.

The Dark Guild Master pretended to ignore Natsu's change in composure and demonically taunted. "Judging from the amount of magical potential you're emitting, that mage we captured must mean a lot to you. I've already stated it before, but my guild played you like a deck of cards. Don't worry though, it's not like it matters that there's no more evidence to find us. Even if we didn't destroy it all, it's not like there's going to be anything left of your friend to arrange a funeral with if you were to-"

The Dark Guild Master wasn't given the chance to finish speaking. Natsu's magical potential that was pouring from his body exploded in a shroud of flames. " _ **FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!**_ " He roared throughout the guild hall. Without hesitating, he bolted towards armor clad Dark Guild Master who was standing across the desk. "YOU BASTARD! IF YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON KAGURA I'LL SEARCH THE END OF FIORE TO FIND YOUR HEADQUARTERS!"

To no avail, Jura could only shout from the entrance of the room while he watched the Dragon Slayer leap towards the Dark Guild Master. "MASTER NATSU! IT'S A TRAP! HE WANTS YOU TO ATTACK HIM-"Jura never got the chance to finish his helpless plead.

Without warning, the Dark Guild Master awaiting Natsu's attack was engulfed in a dark aura which teleported him a step backwards from where he was standing. He then held out his right hand to catch Natsu's throat which stopped his head from charging straight into his armor since the Dragon Slayer anticipated the attack to land slightly earlier. The Dark Guild Master began to flare his magical potential in preparation for his counterattack.

" _ **Iron Rock Wall!"**_ Jura chanted. He tried to conjure a wall to seperate Natsu from the Dark Guild Master's grip and possibly snap Natsu out of his enraged state, but he knew it would end up crushing the Dragon Slayer if he didn't take his time. The ground beneath the room began to slowly rumble while the spell activated. All the Earth Mage could do was watch while the scene in front of him unfolded.

The Dark Guild Master began to squeeze Natsu's throat more tightly while the dark aura around his body began to pour out more violently. Jura never expected the Guild Master of a Dark Guild to have so much magical potential.

Suddenly, all the dark magic dissipated back into the Dark Guild Master's body which Natsu tried to use as an opportunity to struggle out of his grip. The Dragon Slayer tried to roar in intimidation even though he was being throttled. "Yuh- You bastard. You're too scared to fight and you can't even activate a damn spell. When I get out of here, I'm going to kick your sorry ass."

This was the last thing the Dark Guild Master heard Natsu utter. "That wasn't the spell." He psychotically chuckled.

Natsu wasn't able to respond in time. Out of nowhere, the dark aura that flared from the Dark Guild Master's body was channeled into his right arm which traveled to Natsu's throat. A large black magic circle appeared beneath Natsu's dangling legs which caused a massive pillar of dark magic to erupt in front of the Guild Master and completely encase the Dragon Slayer. The spell roared throughout the guild hall and the dark Magic shredded the ceiling of the building and anything that came into contact with it.

The dark spell howled for around half a minute which forced Jura to cancel his spell and cover his ears and eyes; the black magic slowly then began to dissipate into the surrounding air after the full effect of the spell was cast. After a few more seconds, the enormous pillar of dark magic slowly dissipated revealing Natsu's throat still in the hands of the Dark Guild Master.

Without hesitation, the Dark Guild Master dropped Natsu's lifeless body in front of him. The Dragon Slayer's attire was completely tathered even though it was supposed to be resistant to magic. A black aura was continuously spewing from his body which tainted the flooring he was laying on a dark color. Natsu's eyes were the most distinctive feature about him which caused Jura to shiver when he saw that the whites of them were completely black.

Jura shook his head which snapped him out of his trance. He cast his spell hoping to buy him some time to observe Natsu's condition. " _ **Iron Rock Wall!**_ " A large rock wall erupted beneath the Dark Guild Master's feet which lifted him towards two more pillars closing in on each side of him. Before the spell completely crushed his body, the dark mage panted deeply while he surrounded himself with the last bit of magic potential he had left. His body was surrounded in darkness before disappearing from the remains of the room. He was gone.

Jura saw the Dark Guild Master's body dissipate into the sky and immediately halted the pillars from colliding together. He then used this as an opportunity to bolt towards where Natsu was laying on the ground. "MASTER NATSU! ARE YOU ABLE TO SPEAK TO ME?!" The Earth Mage yelled while kneeling next to the lifeless body in front of him. He reluctantly touched Natsu's neck to check his vitals which caused the dark magic pouring from his body to latch onto his outstretched hand.

Jura reflexively removed his hand out of pain and watched the dark magic pour out of Natsu's body. _"_ _Damn!_ _Whatever that spell was, it_ _put_ _too much dark_ _ness_ _inside his body for me to_ _touch him_ _… But if there's still_ _darkness_ _pouring from his body, that means there's still life inside of him that it's_ _clinging to_ _."_ Jura concluded before standing up and creating a giant slab of rock in the palm of his hand. "Natsu! If you can hear me, I'm going to take you to the rest of the Magical Alliance to see if there's anyone who can help!" He then carefully shoveled the rock slab beneath Natsu and rolled him onto the cold surface before carefully carrying his lifeless body towards the main floor of the guild.

* * *

" **B** **ooommmm** **…** **HHHHHOOOOOOOOWWWWWLLLLLLLLLL."** A sharp roar resounded throughout the guild hall. All the members of the Magical Alliance on the ground floor reflexively covered their ears in pain at the sound.

Half a minute passed before the roar died down. "What the hell was that noise?" Hibiki winced while he reluctantly uncovered his ears while pointing towards the guild's second floor.

Lyon chuckled while watching everyone else uncover their ears. "You just pointed to the answer. Who else do you think could cause that must destruction? I'd say Natsu and Jura are about to find out where this guild's headquarters is. Like hell we needed a Magical Alliance for this! We could have took this guild down ourselves."

Sherria flexed her arm and agreed. "I think Lyon's right! This doesn't seem bad like the time Jura told me about when you fought the Oracion Seis."

Ichiya began to stroke his stubble and eye the rest of the members."Let's not get carried away men. Just because we had an easier time with clearing out these dark mages doesn't mean that the rest of the Magical Alliance faced the same. All the guilds documents are in the basement so naturally it would be more protected which is why Natsu probably sent Miss Kagura and Reedus to clear it out. I'm pretty sure it's obvious why Natsu and Jura chased after the leader in his office."

Eve graciously bowed in front of Ichiya. "If that's the case boss, we would be delighted to assist Master Natsu and Jura."

This caused Ichiya to chuckle. "I wouldn't worry about helping those two out. Truth be told, if they can't take down the guild's leader, then we wouldn't stand much chance against him either. What you can do is tie up the rest of these dark mages. Even though they won't know where their headquarters is, we can at least leave them here to the Magic Council Ruin Knights to arrest them."

"Yes sir!" The Trimens nodded while beginning to round up the unconscious dark mages.

"What about the basement? Shouldn't Kagura and Reedus be done by now? I didn't hear much fighting happening down there." Lyon questioned.

Ichiya nodded in agreement. "Since we're done clearing out the main floor, you can check up on them. If they're done fighting might I suggest helping them thumb through the guild's files and see if you can find their headquarters?"

Lyon nodded in response. Just before he could turn and head for the basement, the Magical Alliance heard someone bark from the second floor.

"EVERYONE GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Jura yelled from the balustrade of the guild's second floor. He held the rock slab supporting Natsu and made a leap of faith to where the Magical Alliance was gathered around the bar.

The Magical Alliance backpedaled from the bar while Jura impacted the ground causing it to tremble slightly. Jura continued to support Natsu while the other members of the Magical Alliance began to hurriedly surround them.

Lyon frantically observed Jura's tired state."What the hell happened up there? Where's the guild's leader? Did you get him?"

"It- It was a trap!" Jura stutterd short of breath while placing the Dragon Slayer he was carrying on the bar's counter. He destroyed the rock contaminated with dark magic and began to fill in the rest of the Magical Alliance. "They knew we were coming and their Guild Master was here all along. He set a trap in the basement. He also tried to kill Master Natsu before he escaped. He missed his chance to kill him because he ran out of magic during our fight! We can talk more about this later… We first need to help Master Natsu right now! He's going to die unless we do something!"

The members of the Magical Alliance leaned on the countertop and gasped when they saw Natsu's body. Lyon immediately turned around, grabbed Sherria standing behind him, and lightly shoved her towards the countertop.

Sherria's eyes widened when she saw Natsu's black eyes. "I- I've never seen dark magic this powerful before. I'll see what I can do!"

While Sherria began to prepare her hands to treat Natsu, Lyon remembered something that Jura said. "Wait, you said something about a trap in the basement?"

Jura diverted his gaze and reluctantly stuttered. "Thuh- They captured Kagura. We underestimated this guild's power and they can use teleportation magic to transport multiple people at once. I don't even think that's something Warren can do. We fought the Guild Master and that's how he managed to escape after he baited Natsu into attacking him by showing him that Kagura was captured."

"If that's the case, then who's powerful enough to transport her other than the Guild Master?!"

"Their guild's leader was in the basement all along and he was the one who probably used some of their teleportation magic to transfer Kagura back to their headquarters. That's my guess on how they managed to capture her without us knowing."

Lyon began to panic. "Where's Reedus? Did he also get captured?"

"The leader's Guild Master didn't mention anything about him, so I hope not."

"I'll go see if he's hurt and bring him up to Sherria." Lyon offered while turning his back to the Magical Alliance and bolting towards the basement's staircase.

* * *

Lyon threw down the wooden door using his Maker Magic and hurled himself down the staircase towards the bright basement in the distance. "REEDUS! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" He called out into the distance.

The only response he received were light sobs coming from the basement. The closer he got to the bottom of the staircase, the more the sobbing grew louder.

Lyon skipped the last few steps and let his eyes adjust to the bright basement in front of him. The first thing he noticed were scorch marks and ashes of paper littering the far side of the basement. His nose picked up the pungent smell of burning gasoline and parchment in the air. To his surprise, the basement was startingly clean aside from the charred cells towards the end of the basement. Lyon expected a gruesome mess to be littered inside of the cells, so seeing how humane the atmosphere was sent a slight shiver down his spine.

At the end of the hallway his eyes rested upon a man on his knees who was clutching what looked to be a a folder containing a few slips of paper with Archenemy resting in front of him.

Lyon knew who it was and made a sprint towards the man and immediately tried to snap him out of his daze. "REEDUS! WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO KAGURA! YOU'VE GOTTA SNAP OUT OF IT AND GET UPSTAIRS RIGHT NOW! MASTER NATSU…" The Ice Mage paused slightly to recollect his thoughts and be sincere. "Yuh- You need to see his condition… He… He might not make it through the night." The Ice Mage finished by delivering the inevitable truth.

Reedus trembled slightly and looked over his shoulders to see Lyon behind him. The Pict Mage stood up, held Archenemy in one of his hands, and wiped his eyes. "Oui. I just... I just needed some time to vent for not being strong enough to save Kagura. She's strong, so I just hope that it's enough for her to handle whatever this Dark Guild can throw at her until we find where their headquarters is. When we find these bastards, we're going to take the fight to them." He said while holding a folder in his other hand. It was reeking of gasoline, but the contents within it were still legible. "I found this beneath the operating table in the cell. The guys burning the cells didn't have enough time to burn this and the person that captured Kagura sounded like it's important."

Lyon nodded in response and momentarily put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Reedus? Even if you think that you weren't strong enough to save Kagura, you can still be strong enough to save Master Natsu. He's going to need all the help he can get if we're going to have a chance at finding her."

Reedus turned around and nudged towards the staircase in the distance. He began bolting towards the main floor of the guild hall with Lyon at his side. Reedus held Archenemy in his hands and clutched it as though his life depended on the sword's safety. He continued staring ahead and spoke while fearing the worst. "What's happening to Master Natsu?"

* * *

Lyon and Reedus made their way to the countertop while funneling their way through the mages surrounding the unconscious Guild Master. The Ice Mage made room for Reedus to examine Natsu.

The Pict mage nearly dropped Archenemy and the folder he was holding when he saw his Guild Master's condition. He froze in place and was barely able to muster the courage to speak. "Master Natsu's eyes and body are completely filled with darkness. I can't see his pupils and his body is being torn apart by all that magic." Reedus turned to Jura to confirm a question. "Their Guild Master was able to do this with one attack?"

Jura silently nodded while he continued to monitor Sherria prepare her hands to heal the Dragon Slayer. "Sherria? How much longer until you think that you can heal him?" The Earth Mage spoke with concern.

Sherria closed her eyes before channeling sparkling grey magic into her hands. "I should be ready now… Here goes nothing... _**Sky God's Healing Spell.**_ " She angelically chanted while leaning towards Natsu on the countertop. A pair of grey magic circles appeared on the palm of her hands which she pressed into the Dragon Slayer's neck.

The only person surprised at the type of spell she activated was Reedus. He snapped his head from person to person out of complete shock to see if anyone had the same reaction as him. "Did she just say Sky God?"

Lyon half ignored what Reedus asked and continued to monitor Natsu's condition. "Yeah, and it's a long story Reedus. Sherria should be able to use her God Slayer Magic to stop all that dark magic from killing Master Natsu."

The Magical Alliance continued to watch Sherria in suspense as the God Slayer massaged Natsu's neck allowing her magic to begin to seep into the darkness surrounding Natsu's body.

Ichiya and the rest of the Trimens began to nod at the impressive results they were seeing from the young girl. However, their nods soon turned into horror plastered across their faces. Instead of Sherria's God Slayer Magic completely removing the dark magic from Natsu's body, the Darkness that was pouring out began to slow down. It then retracted further inside Natsu's body causing it to violently thrash. Natsu's pitch black eyes began to glow a dark aura which caused Sherria to immediately cancel her spell and back away when she realized she was only hurting the Dragon Slayer.

Jura put a comforting hand on Sherria's quivering shoulder. "That's enough Sherria. You're only forcing the darkness further into his body which is killing whatever little life he has left."

A deathly silence fell upon the Magical Alliance for a few seconds. Everyone was at a loss of words and no one knew what to say. Sherria observed the hopeless faces of everyone around her. This caused her to lower her face which began to get shadowed by her pink hair. "So... I guess that's it then? No one knows how to help Master Natsu. We're just going to sit here and watch him die right in front of our eyes just because we're not strong enough to find a way to save his life?"

Jura began to open his mouth to ask the Trimens if they knew of a way to help Natsu, but their grim facial expressions was all he needed to know the answer to the question.

Jura put a hand on the shoulder of the only person left who was still too terrified to speak. Reedus was standing next to Sherria. The Pict Mage was clutching Archenemy and the only documents left of the Dark Guild in his hands. Reedus knew deep down inside that he had probably already lost Kagura. Was he really about to lose the person who held his Nakama together for the past two years?

The Earth Mage breathed deeply and asked with the the rest of hope he could muster. "Reedus? We need you to focus right now. I know Kagura is being held captive by this Dark Guild and we know what they're capable of, but if we don't find some way to remove all this darkness inside Master Natsu's body, he's going to die. Do you know of anyone… Or anything that can help him?"

Reedus began to raise his shadowed head and plastered a desperate look on his face. "Oui… I think I know a guy that might be able to help us out. I'll need to use Natsu's Lacrima though to contact him. It should be in his cloak's right pocket." He paused to gesture to his Guild Master's contaminated cloak.

Jura didn't hesitate in the slightest. He averted his gaze from where he was about to reach, clenched his teeth, and quickly shoved his hand into Natsu's cloak. The moment his hand contacted the dark aura surrounding the Dragon Slayer, it began to burn in pain. He quickly fished out the Lacrima which was luckily unaffected by the dark magic. He breathed deeply in a sigh of relief while the burning sensation subsided. He then continued by handing the crystal orb to Reedus.

"Jura... Thank you." Reedus sincerely bowed at the sacrifice the Earth Mage made.

"Just help Master Natsu."

This was all that Reedus needed to close his eyes and begin rubbing the orb slightly; his concentration was broken by one of the Trimens.

Hibiki cooly spoke while trying to keep his composure. "Who do you plan on contacting?"

Reedus responded while the Lacrima began to make contact. "The thing about Dark Guilds is that most of their members are relatively weak. Let's be honest, how much trouble did you guys have clearing this main floor out?" The silence was all he needed to continue. "If this were some Curse or Dark Spell applied by one of the weaker mages you fought, it would have simply be cancelled when the caster was defeated or out of range similar to where this Dark Guild Master is right now."

"How is this going to help us?" Hibiki huffed.

"It's obvious that whoever this Guild Master is, he's on a whole nother level than any of the other guild members if his Curse is still active even after he teleported back to his headquarters just like Lyon described."

"If you know so much about Dark Guilds, why can't we just use Sherria's healing spells to deactivate the curse?"

"Don't you see it yet? If we're going to deactivate a curse this strong, we're going to need magic specifically designed for it. And I know just the guy."

Reedus wasn't given the chance to explain how he knew so much about Dark Guilds. He was interrupted by his Lacrima making contact with the person he needed to speak to. The crystal orb began to project the image of a young man with blonde hair. Beside the young man was a cute girl with brown hair nestling her head into the crook of the man's neck.

The blonde haired man was the first to start the conversation with a low whisper. "Hey Reedus…? I'm not going to ask what you're doing with Master Natsu's Lacrima, but now isn't the best time." He paused to nudge towards the brown haired girl next to him.

"Hey Reedus!" The girl beamed into the Lacrima. Before Reedus could respond, a wave of shushing was ushered throughout the dimly lit background the duo was sitting in.

Reedus sweatdropped at the shushing which revealed the identity of the two mages. "Eiji… Are you in Magnolia's Movie Tavern with Sayuki?"

Eiji embarrassingly changed the subject while muting the audio between the two groups so no one else in the movie tavern could hear them. "That's not important… How's training going with Master Natsu?"

Reedus shook his head and was about to give Eiji a crash course. "Did you mute the audio so no one else can hear?" Eiji's nod allowed him to continue. "Eiji. We're not actually training. Master Natsu and the rest of us on a really important quest with members from the other main guilds of Fiore. The reason I contacted you was because Master Natsu was struck by a Dark Curse and we're trying to find a way to deactivate the spell. We're in Clover Town and we need you to get here as soon as possible."

"Well… If it's Clover Town I've gotta get to I can get there by nightfall in a couple of hours. How bad is his condition? If it's nothing serious, I could always just send you a couple of incantations or verses to deactivate whatever Curse or Dark Spell he was hit by."

Reedus reluctantly pointed the Lacrima away from his face and towards the countertop where Natsu was laying in the background. Even though now no one else was able to hear her, Sayuki covered her mouth with her hands to prevent her from screaming while Eiji's eyes widened in horror. He was barely able to register what he just witnessed. "I've see a lot of powerful Dark Spells in the past, but this is something I've only heard rumors about. There's so much darkness in the curse that it's leaking from Master Natsu's body. How long has he been like that?" The blonde haired man finished by asking.

"Around 30 minutes." Reedus answered confidently.

Eiji turned to Sayuki sitting in her seat next to him and began to speak to her. "You saw what that Dark Guild did to him. Master Natsu's in serious trouble unless I'm able to deactivate whatever that Curse is." He tried to let Sayuki figure out what he was implying.

Sayuki shook her hands in embarrassment. "I totally understand! If you didn't plan on leaving right now to help him, I would've just got up and went home so you would have nothing else to do BUT help him."

Eiji smiled at his date who was supporting his decision. He turned back towards the Lacrima in his hands and began speaking to Reedus. "What about Sayuki? Should I also get her a train ticket before the station closes for the night?"

Reedus frowned at what Eiji suggested and awkwardly sighed. He focused his attention towards Sayuki and spoke. "Pardon what I'm about to say Sayuki. It's not like we don't want your help, but please realize that this was a last minute decision from me to begin with. No one else from Fairy Tail aside from us knows about this mission we're on. I was kinda hoping that you could make an excuse to the rest of the guild if they start to ask why Eiji hasn't been around the guild. If you're up to it, would you be able to do that for Master Natsu while Eiji helps us?"

Sayuki smiled with slight disappointment and sighed. "I get what you're trying to say. If Fairy Tail starts asking why Eiji hasn't been around the guild hall, I'll just say he got food poisoning from the popcorn he ate or something."

Reedus bowed in gratitude. "I can't thank you enough for keeping this between us Sayuki. Master natsu will find a way to make this up to you since I know how much you look up to him." He then directed his attention towards Eiji. "We'll be waiting here at this guild hall for you. It's on the outskirts of Clover Town and you can see it from any part of the forest that outlines the boundaries."

Eiji confidently nodded while getting up from his seat with Sayuki at his side. "Alright Reedus. I'm on my way right now."

Reedus smiled at the duo. "Thank you… Both of you. Stay safe and please hurry. Master Natsu might not make it through the night." The Pict Mage then cut the Lacrima feed which he knew would unmute the surroundings of the movie tavern that Eiji and Sayuki were weaving through.

When Reedus turned around to see if the rest of the Magical Alliance was following with what he discussed with Eiji, he noticed that most of them now had hopeful looks plastered across their faces.

Ichiya cheered with slight joy in his voice. "So you decided to contact Eiji! That explains why you knew so much about Dark Guilds earlier! Do you think he'd be able to help Master Natsu?"

"We don't really have any other options. If Eiji's not able to do it, then I think we can all agree that no one can."

The rest of the Trimens nodded in agreement. Jura and Lyon smiled at the sudden turn in events as they all knew how capable of a mage Eiji was.

The small silence was interrupted by Sherria speaking towards Reedus. "Am I the only person here who doesn't know who Eiji is?" She sarcastically groaned in annoyance. The God Slayer then looked at each member of the Magical Alliance for someone to help her

Every member of the Magical Alliance dropped their jaws at what the pink haired girl asked. Lyon looked down towards her in shock. "Sherria? I thought that all your friends would be talking about him. You've seriously never heard of Eiji before?"

"I recognize his face from that Lacrima projection, but that's about it." Sherria shrugged.

Reedus chuckled and began to clarify who Eiji was to the young girl. He looked down towards her and confidently spoke. "Eiji is one of Fairy Tail's strongest members, and since Master Natsu can't hear me right now, I won't have to regret saying that Eiji is probably stronger than him. He's been getting quite famous these last two years and he's even appeared in multiple Sorcerer Magazine issues for busting notorious Dark Guilds. That's probably why you recognized his face. I contacted him for that exact reason; no one knows dark magic and Curses better than he does."

"Still doesn't ring a bell. There's lots of mages who take down Dark Guilds. I mean, Fairy Tail single handedly wiped out parts of the Balam Alliance."

Reedus proudly smirked at what she said. "Oui, you have a point, but not even Fairy Tail as a whole can keep up with Eiji's track record. He's in a league of his own thanks to all the training Master Natsu makes him go through on a daily basis. Just like how people call Master Natsu the Salamander, you probably don't know Eiji by his name which is why you only recognize his face, but I'm sure you know him by his alias."

Reedus briefly looked around at the other members of the Magical Alliance who nodded for him to tell Sherria who he was. He then revealed his identity. "Eiji is Fairy Tail's **Holy Devil Slayer** , but most mages just call him the Exorcist."

Sherria's face turned a pale white color when she heard this. Her eye's bulged open as she squeaked in embarrassment. "THE EXORCIST?! THAT'S EIJI?!"

Ren nonchalantly ignored Sheria's realization and responded in annoyance. "Why didn't you just tell us that you could contact Eiji earlier?" He immediately covered his mouth while Hibiki slapped him over the head at what he just uttered.

A deathly silence fell upon the Magical Alliance while Reedus's face grew dark."Ren? I think you know the answer to that. Just now I might have just lost one of my closest friends I've know for the past two years and the only thing I have to remember her by is her sword." He said while gritting his teeth in anger.

Lyon tried to change the subject by directing the Magical alliance's attention to the folder that Reedus was holding in his other hand. "Hey Reedus? You never told us what's inside the folder? You told me that it could help us take the fight back to those bastards who captured Kagura."

This warented a sigh from the Pict Mage. "That's What I was hoping for. I was able to save this file from beneath one of the cell's operating table before it was burned. I think the mages that were with that guy who captured Kagura didn't have enough time to burn everything."

"Did you get a chance to save anything else we can use?"

Reedus shook his head in response. "This was the only thing that managed to escape."

Lyon pressed on. "Well? What does it say inside of it?"

"I haven't gotten the chance to open it. I was hoping that you guys would want to see it also." A suspenseful silence fell between the members of the Magical Alliance which was broken by Reedus inhaling deeply while he slowly opened the folder. "Here goes nothing."

The members of the Magical Alliance leaned towards the countertop where Reedus propped up the folder next to the motionless Guild Master. Many of them cocked their eyebrows in confusion and even had disappointed looks on their faces when they saw that the only thing inside the folder was a neatly creased piece of paper. "That's it? A piece of paper?" Hibiki scoffed at the contents of the folder.

"Have some patience Hibiki. We still don't know what's on the piece of paper." Jura lectured towards the member of the Trimens.

Reedus carefully reached out and took the drenched parchment in his hands. He turned back around and held the piece of paper so everyone could get a better look at it. The first thing everyone noticed about Reedus was that he had a surprised look plastered across face. "Guys! This isn't just a piece of paper. I think this is part of a bio on one of their guild members!" He paused to gesture towards an image on the paper.

On the upper left half of the piece of paper were two different pictures of a man joined together. The left one showed the man wearing a golden mask that seperated into a forked design. The right one revealed his facial features. He had outlandish brown hair and was clean shaven. His black eye pupils were small, but completely void of emotion.

Jura stroked his beard slightly and spoke out loud. "Something about that mask seems familiar."

This caused Reedus to hand the bio over to Jura. The Earth Mage scanned the picture thoroughly, and the more he looked at it, the more his eyes widened out of sheer surprise. He looked up towards the rest of the Magical Alliance and spoke out loud. "Everyone… This isn't just one of this guild's Dark Guild Member. This is their Guild Master."

Ichiya glared in astonishment towards the image and spoke after collecting his thoughts. "Men? How can you be sure? Are you telling me this is the guy that-"

"Yes. This is the person that cursed Master Natsu in our battle; he's wearing the exact same mask as before."

"Does- Does this piece of evidence say anything that we can use to locate their headquarters?" Ichiya began to stutter out of luck and surprise.

"Let me see..." Jura stated before clearing his throat. He looked towards the writing next to the pictures and began to read it out loud to everyone else.

"Guild Member: Alexei (alias- true identity kept confidential)

Guild Member's Position: Guild Master

Guild Member's Height: 5'11

Guild Member's Bio: Alexei, whose true identity has chosen to be kept confidential, is a guild member as well as the original Guild Master of the Raven Tail Guild hall. He founded the Raven Tail Guild hall in the year X778 after receiving facial plastic surgery to hide his true identity; refer to the image to the right for his current appearance. In order to further preserve his confidentiality, Alexie has only provided his place of birth…"

Jura paused when he read over the last part of the biography in his mind. He looked up in disbelief at where the Dark Guild Master was born.

Lyon tried to lean over towards Jura and read the rest of the bio. He cocked his eyebrow and spoke to the Earth Mage when he still couldn't read it. "Well? Where was this guy born?"

Jura's eyes narrowed in suspicion and he spoke the two words he just read. "Magnolia Town."

Reedus was left in awe just as much as the rest of the Magical Alliance was. He looked towards Jura and asked him a question on his mind. "Pardon, but what else does Alexei's bio say? Maybe it can tell us how to track Raven Tail's headquarters down."

Jura frowned and responded. "That's all it says. The last thing written is that Alexei was born in Magnolia Town."

Ichiya was first to break the suspenseful silence. "I'm pretty sure it's quite obvious what needs to be done Men! Let's go back to Manlogia Town and see if we can find anything tracing back to Raven Tail's Guild. We might be able to save Kagura if we hurry up and find a way to locate their headquarters!"

Reedus cautiously began to shake his head. "Yeah, but what if it's just another trap that they set up for us and they meant to lead us on with these small clues? We could just be wasting our time. Not to mention that we can't really transport Master Natsu around with us considering the condition he's in. Why do you think I'm just as scared for Kagura's safety as you? We can't just get up and leave. Think about it. I'm a member of Fairy Tail, so you'd think I would have heard something about this Alexie being born in Magnolia Town throughout all these years of fighting Dark Guilds."

Jura conflicted with the Pict Mage's opinion slightly. "Don't forget that Alexei is obviously a very confidential man. I wouldn't be surprised if there's something in Magnolia Town that we could used to find their headquarters. As of right now though, this is all I can see us using to help us find Raven Tail's headquarters."

Hibiki combed his hair and sighed. "That and the fact that this Dark Guild's name sounds a lot like Fairy Tail. I don't think that's just a coincidence."

Reedus shrugged at this and shook his head in slight disagreement. "Oui. You aren't wrong, but I wouldn't focus my attention on that. People impersonate us all the time if that's what you're implying. A couple years ago there was this mage called Bora the Prominence who pretended to use Dragon Slayer Magic like Master Natsu just so he could lure and abduct girls who he could sell to Bosco."

Sherria shivered at this and scowled. "What a creep."

"Oui, but I'll ask Eiji is he knows anything about Raven Tail's Guild Master or anything suspicious around Magnolia Town in general that could be traced back to their headquarters. I mean, he's called the Exorcist for a reason, so if anyone knows about Dark Guilds that behave similarly to Raven Tail, it's got to be him. From there, we might just be able to make progress."

"What should we do in the meantime until he gets here?"

"Well… We still have a couple more hours until Eiji gets here. Let's finish up tying the rest of these dark mages while they're still passed out cold. I'll contact a Magic Council Rune Knight stationed in Clover Town to come up here and take them into town." Jura suggested while tending to the unconscious guild members.

Everyone nodded and began to help Jura tie up the rest of the dark mages. Reedus on the other hand sighed and walked up to the countertop his Guild Master was lying motionless on. He closed his eyes, set down Raven Tail's evidence, and firmly grasped Natsu's hand in his other one that wasn't clutching Archenemy. He ignored the burning sensation coursing through his hand caused by the Curse and whispered to himself. "I wish you knew how much we need you right now Master Natsu. For once, we need one of your crazy ideas to work again and find where these bastards are hiding. Not for my sake, but for Kagura's. Her life depends on it."

* * *

" **CRACK**!" A thunderous slapping sound resounded throughout one of the massive forests of Fiore.

A man staggered backwards out of shock and looked up towards the person who hit him in pain. "Wuh- What the hell was that for Kurohebi?!" He stuttered the person's identity while rubbing his red cheek.

"DUMBASS! WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT WAS FOR? I TOLD YOU TO BURN ALL THE EVIDENCE BEFORE WE LEFT! NOW YOU TELL ME THAT YOU FORGOT TO IGNITE THE PILE BENEATH THE OPERATING TABLE?!" Kurohebi roared throughout the forest. He was confident that no one else was wandering around the parts that he was in so he took this as an opportunity to vent his frustration.

The mage who was slapped on the cheek argued back. "I already told you! I didn't want to wait any longer and risk one of the members of that Magical Alliance coming to free Kagura since we captured her. Plus, I didn't know if that Pict Mage was telling the truth when he said he didn't have any more magic potential to use. I didn't want him to counterattack if we let our guards down!"

"YEAH! THAT WAS BEFORE YOU REALIZED THAT WE USED UP ALL OUR GUILD'S TELEPORTATION MAGIC GETTING BACK TO HEADQUARTERS. NOW WE'VE GOTTA WALK ALL THE WAY BACK TO CLOVER TOWN TO FINISH UP BURNING THE EVIDENCE!"

The mage who was supposed to burn the guild's evidence that they were in earlier today for Kurohebi groaned in frustration. "If it means so much to you, why don't you just tell Alexei and get rid of me for good?! That should be easy enough for you to do." He finished by muttering.

"Don't you worry. I'm resisting every urge in my body to contact him right now over Lacrima so he can kill you and your little buddy hiding behind the tree over there for completely screwing this up. But if I ended up telling Alexei, he would probably castrate me for not making sure you idiots burned all the files in the first place!" Kurohebi sarcastically spat while beginning to walk again.

The two mages began to follow Kurohebi further into the forest. This time, the second one decided to chip in. "I don't get what's the big deal. Those files just had to do with who our guild members are. It's not like they'll be able to use it to find out where our main guild hall is stationed at."

Kurohebi had enough. He turned around and charged the second mage by pinning him into a tree that the group passed. "Those files don't belong to any of our other worthless 'guild member.' They show us the name and location of where our Guild Master was born! There's a reason why we need to burn them you complete dunce!"

"Suh- So? Why does it matter if they find out where Alexei was born?" The mage pinned against the tree stuttered in fear and confusion.

"What if they somehow find a way to trace that back to our headquarters? Let me make this clear to the both of you." Kurohebi paused to glare at the other mage cowering. "The reason I've left the two of you alive myself is because those Fairy Flies don't know the files are under the operating table. They've bound to have left the guild hall by now to arrange a funeral for their crippled Guild Master. Alexei told me that if he wasn't dead by the time he ended that spell of his, all that darkness would end up killing him by the time morning comes along." Kurohebi ended by demonically cackling. He let go of the mage he was holding and began to continue walking through the forest with his two accomplices behind him.

"If that Magical Alliance doesn't know where the files are, and their Guild Master is going to die which leaves us with one less problem, why are we heading back?" The original man asked.

"Finally. A good question." Kurohebi sighed. "We didn't get a chance to see the upper floor before we left, but I can promise you that the rest of Raven Tail's guild members were completely wiped out when we were attacked. The rest of our guild members were mainly used as a distraction to set up our trap we had planned. But who cares what happens to those losers anyways? The rest of that Magical Alliance we fought probably took care of our Raven Tail members by tying them up with magical restraints. Then I'll bet that they left them there for the Magic Council Rune Knights to arrest whenever they get the time."

"What happens after they get arrested?" The original man continued.

"The Rune Knights are going to strip the entire guild down to try and find evidence that will lead them to Raven Tail's headquarters. When they find those files, they're going to give them to the Magical Alliance and they're going to be the ones to piece two and two together. That's only if they beat us to it. Do you get what I'm saying now?"

The two men walking next to Kurohebi silently nodded in guilt, fear, and embarrassment. The man that was pinned against the tree reluctantly spoke. "I know that I shouldn't be worrying about it, but what does Raven Tail plan on doing with Kagura?"

* * *

Scene Change – A Few Hours Earlier

Kurohebi plastered a wicked grin across his face and spoke into the Lacrima he was holding. "It's done sir. The evidence is all burned and we're waiting for you to clean up the rest. We even managed to bag you a new test subject back here at HQ. I think you'll like her a lot." He cackled before pointing the Lacrima he was speaking into towards the middle of the cell he was standing in.

" **Mmppphhhhh! MMMmmmmpppphh!"** The muffled sounds of a gagged girl resounded throughout the dimly lit cell. She looked straight into the Lacrima that Kurohebi was pointing towards her. The ceiling light that shone on her face was the only source of lighting in the background aside from the torches perched atop the bars of her cell, so she wasn't able to make out the person holding the Lacrima. The bright light above her fully revealed the girl's identity to the Lacrima projection; Kagura didn't get the chance to plead towards her Guild Master. Before she was able to, the Lacrima abruptly lost connection.

Kurohebi nodded in satisfaction and pocketed the Lacrima into his scaly patterned pants.

He then stepped further into the light shining down on the mage with purple hair and spoke to fully reveal his identity to her. "Your relationship with you Fairy Flies share with your Guild Master obviously means a lot. At least that's what Alexei told me about how your guild works. So I think you can see why I wanted to be the one to capture one of you? The more precious something is, the more I want to destroy it! That's just how I roll." He finished by approaching Kagura to remove the mouth gag muffling her speech.

The Sword Mage immediately tried to lurch forward and break herself out the magical restraints her arms were chained to. This caused the chains to pull at her right arm which was still badly injured from her fight with Kurohebi earlier. **"AAARRrrrrgggghhhh!"** She gritted in agony as the metal dug into her lacerations.

Kurohebi shook his head and looked into Kagura's hazel eyes which were slightly glassy. "Unfortunately, my goal isn't to destroy more than I already have until the time arrives. Those were the orders from my Guild Master before we set up that trap in our basement."

Kagura smirked slightly to try and keep an emotional front. She glared at the man who captured her and spoke. "If you kill me, Master Natsu won't stop until the rest of Fairy Tail puts an end to whatever you psychos are trying to accomplish by implanting Lacrimas into innocent mages and killing us from removing them to harness their power. That's what it's like to have Nakama. You'll never be able to have another good night's sleep knowing that there's someone out there who's going to avenge me."

Kurohebi plastered a much more confident smirk across his face. "I think you didn't hear what I said. I've already destroyed whatever relationship you value with your Guild Master since we've captured you. Our guild's goal is to keep you alive and extract as much power from you as possible. That Wizard Saint Wataru was only used as a test subject to see how much potential we could extract from powerful mages. When we eventually killed him from extracting that Lacrima, we mutilated his corpse to attract you Fairy Flies into our trap. Whether your Guild Master ends up finding me or not won't matter if our main guild hall you're chained inside of is still standing because the rest of the guild's members will keep doing what Alexei tells them to. He's our Guild Master if you're still having trouble piecing two and two together."

"You're sick. You plan on making me the new Wataru so you can continue to capture mages and use them for Lacrima implants now that you know what you're doing?"

"My My My. It's a shame that we're eventually going to have to kill you considering how bright you are. But yes, that's what I was implying when I said that I would have to wait some time before completely destroying your relationship with your Guild Master. IT MEANS DEATH ONCE WE'RE ALL DONE USING YOU FOR POWER!" His eyes shot open with his lips stretching from the sides of his mouth.

"You've seemed to forget that none of this will happen if he and the rest of the Magical Alliance gets me out of here. Master Natsu doesn't know how much time I have until you do decide to kill me, so he's going to have the mindset that I'm dead and he's going to be living every second of his life trying to avenge me."

Kagura stopped speaking as she noticed a very short man with a hunched back enter her cell from the outside hallways. The man was wearing a white cape over his chest which was wrapped in dark bandages. His most distinctive feature was that his skin tone was oddly purple.

Kurohebi held his hand up to acknowledge the man's presence while he finished speaking to the restrained prisoner. "It's not like that Magical Alliance of yours is going to be able to find where our main guild hall is. I've told you already, that was farewell back at that guild hall. Anyways, I wouldn't count on that Master Natsu of yours being able to continue that search of his for much longer. Our Guild Master is already taking care of that possible problem. I've said it before. We've already destroyed your relationship with him. Now we're just waiting to destroy you. Let's just leave it at that." His eyes darkened while turning to the cell's entrance to finally greet the short man waiting for him.

Kagura's eyes widened in fear at Kurohebi's threat. "YOU SICK EXCUSE OF A COWARD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

Kurohebi ignored this and kneeled down towards the short man when they exited the cell together. "What's up Nullpudding? Is everything all right with the other guild members."

Nullpudding frowned and shook his head. "I wish I could tell you that's the case, but those two mages who helped you burn the evidence told me something that you're not going to be happy about."

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	17. Chapter 17 - Life, or Death

**Author's Note:** Don't stop reading! I'm still updating!

It feels so great to be able to update again after the two months of me being away. I promised you guys that this Fanfiction is going to the 300K mark, so we're only halfway there. Long story short, summer has eaten up more time than I expected. In between traveling around the country and my part time job, I physically had no energy or motivation to write.

It wasn't until I thought of some really cool ideas for the upcoming arc did I decide to start writing again once the school semester started. Since this is around the time I began writing this Fanfiction, it makes sense I'll start having more time to write during the school year. The time that I'll have throughout my college courses will largely be dedicated to me updating more frequently again.

Please tell me if my writing style changed noticeably during the time period I've been gone so I can work on getting myself caught up to speed again. I'm aiming for this arc to have two more chapters before I start the next one; the next one is probably going to be the largest and the most adventure based.

I honestly hope that you guys haven't forgotten what this Fanfiction was about, because everytime I look back on the first reviews I've gotten, I remember that you're all just as dedicated to reading as I am to writing, and words will never be able to express how much that means to me.

With that being said, I hope to start writing Chapter 18 soon. Until then, just know that this Fanfiction is going to be completed.

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 17: Life, or Death**

"So now what do we do?" Sherria sighed while weaving her way around the unconscious bodies she helped tie up. She took a seat at the side of the bar opposite from where Natsu was lying and rested her head on the countertop.

The rest of the Magical Alliance followed her and finally began to relax despite so much tension being in the air. Ren gestured towards where Natsu was unconscious and spoke. "Well, Reedus is right about one thing. Moving Master Natsu is out of the question especially since he gets motion sickness. Not to mention it's pitch dark outside since we wasted so many hours tying up these Raven Tail sickos."

"Oui. Don't worry though. Eiji should be here in a bit. It took us a lot longer than I expected to tie up the rest of these bastards, so we shouldn't have to wait much longer." The Pict Mage nodded in agreement.

Sherria was still frightened about everything that has happened to the Magical Alliance up until this point, so she decided to straighten things up starting from the beginning. "Jura?"

The Earth Mage turned his head and meekly smiled. "Yes Sherria?"

"Umm… That guy who was apart of the Wizard Saints… You said his name was Wataru?"

Jura's smile vanished and his facial expression turned serious. "Yes. What would you like to know about him?"

"I know he's dead. I can tell from the way you've been acting. I just wanted to know what would happen to the rest of the Wizard Saints?"

Jura tried to brighten the mood that Sherria was placed in. He meekly smiled again and spoke. "From what I've heard from others, the Magic Council holds a really nice funeral for Wizard Saints once they pass away."

Sherria slightly beamed at this. "That's so nice! What about his title? Doesn't there have to be another Wizard Saint?"

Ichiya became intrigued as to where their conversation was going. "I was wondering the same thing as well."

The Earth Mage acknowledged the duo and continued speaking. "Truth be told it's going to take some time for the Magic Council to find another Wizard Saint. I would say at least a couple of years. Have any of you heard of Warrod Sequen?" The silent head shakes from the Trimens and the rest of the Magical Alliance encouraged the Earth Mage to continue. "He's over 100 years old and he continues to be a Wizard Saint particularly because the Magic Council doesn't have anyone else to appoint."

The entire Magical Alliance was speechless. Even Ren was shocked at this. His eyes bulged open and he shot up from his seat. "100 years old?!"

"Yes. You heard that correctly." Jura confirmed.

Lyon then made a recommendation. "Since we don't really have anything else left to do, I'm heading down to the infirmary to get some shut eye before Eiji gets here." He tiredly sighed while getting up from the bar stool he was sitting on.

Sherria began to fume at what Lyon suggested. "You're saying we should just leave Master Natsu here by himself even when he's been cursed? He needs help!"

She was immediately scolded by Jura. "Sherria! I realize that you want to help Master Natsu, but we all feel the same way. Try to understand that none of us are going to be much use to him if we're all tired by the time Eiji gets here. I suggest that you do the same as the rest of us." The Earth Mage instructed while gesturing for her to go with Lyon. The rest of the Trimens nodded in agreement and followed the Maker Mage waiting for Sherria at the staircase.

"I'll get some sleep later if I feel tired. I didn't use much of my magic today, so I should be fine when Eiji gets here."

Jura nodded from beside her. "If that's the case, you're welcome to stay up here and help me watch over Master Natsu. He can't just stay up here by himself." He finished by groggily rubbing his eyes.

Reedus immediately shook his head. "Jura, you've already done so much to help Master Natsu today. You need to get some rest."

After a few seconds of bickering Jura reluctantly gave in. "If you need me for whatever reason, don't hesitate to wake me up. I'm not a heavy sleeper." The Earth Mage walked to the staircase leading to the infirmary with Lyon and the rest of the Trimens in front of him.

Sherria and Reedus sat in silence next to each other. Both of them helplessly wished that they could do more to help their fellow Dragon Slayer laying motionless beside them. Reedus turned his head and began to speak to Sherria in an attempt to take their minds off of this. "Pardon me, but that magic that you used earlier to try and help Master Natsu was amazing. I shouldn't be surprised that you're a God Slayer though, because Lamia Scale has all sorts of strong mages."

The small girl looked up and smiled. "Thanks Reedus. I specifically use **Sky God Slayer Magic**."

His comforting words definitely managed to cheer her up. The Pict Mage then began to speak again. "You seemed interested in the Wizard Saints when Jura was with us. Pardon me, but can I ask why?" He politely asked.

Sherria meekly smiled. "I actually wanted to talk to you about it, because I remembered when I asked Jura how a mage becomes a Wizard Saint back when I first joined Lamia Scale with my cousin."

"What'd he say?"

"He told me that there's a couple of way. The easiest way is to be offered a position by the Chairman of the Magic Council."

Reedus couldn't help but lightly chuckle at this and joked. "Appointed by Gran Doma? Are you sure that ever happens?"

Sherria giggled and continued. "What do you mean if it ever happens? How do you think Jura became Wizard Saint? Jura told me that Gran Doma asked him if he wanted to become a Wizard Saint since they needed a replacement a couple weeks ago."

Reedus nodded in realization. "You're right. Jellal was removed from the Magic Council after he was found to be a double agent using them to activate the Tower of heaven."

"Yeah, that's what Jura said. He also told me that the was the second way is to be recommended by another Wizard Saint. Since Wizard Saints are technically members of the Magic Council, Gran Doma allows them to chose someone who they'd like to be the replacement."

"And the third way?" Reedus pressed on.

"The third way you could be considered as a Wizard Saint is if you've done tons of stuff for Fiore in the past. If that's the case, I think your name is brought up to the rest of the Magic Council and they have a vote which decides if they're going to consider you."

"Is it possible for a Wizard Saint to have all three types of recommendations?

Sherria thought for a moment. "I think so, but it's never happened before."

A small silence fell upon the duo. Sherria began to fidget with her thumbs as she didn't know how to continue. Reedus noticed this and comforted her. "You don't have to tell me why you asked Jura what was going to happen to the Wizard Saints if you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you my idea. It just feels like a long shot especially since Jura said that it usually takes a lot of time for the Magic Council to decide who they want to consider."

Reedus sarcastically chuckled. "Believe me. I'm pretty sure that the amount of crazy ideas I have to put up with Master Natsu is nothing compared to what you want to talk about. You can trust me. No matter how crazy it is, it'll just be between us."

This caused Sherria to relax and smile. "Even though it's a long shot, I can think of so many reasons why this would work in the future. I just needed support from you since you would know the best way to word this to Jura."

"What is it?"

The next words out of Sherria's mouth completely took Reedus by surprise. "Since Fairy Tail mages are really close to their Nakama, I wanted to know if you could help me recommend to Jura that Master Natsu would make a good Wizard Saint." She paused to gauge Reedus's facial expression.

Before Sherria even gave him time speak, she began to try and persuade him. "For starters, think about all the adventures he's had with Fairy Tail that ended up saving Fiore. Jura told me the story about how Master Natsu defeated one of the leaders of the Balam Alliance which ended up stopping Nirvana from destroying the remains of the Cait Shelter Guild. He also stopped Jellal from reviving the Tower of Heaven which would have resurrected the most powerful Dark Mage of all time! Don't forget that Jellal was also a Wizard Saint before he was removed from the Magic Council. Lastly, don't you remember that speech Master Natsu gave at the Magic Coalition? Even though I wasn't there, Lyon told me that the reason he's such good friends with Sherry and me is because Master Natsu were able to convince Master Ooba and Gran Doma to pay closer attention to how guild members behave."

A short silence fell between the duo so Reedus could make sure that Sherria was done speaking. Even though she was panting heavily, the Pict Mage sighed and placed a hand on Sherria's shoulder. He then began to speak in a warm tone. "You have a point Sherria, but what you don't know is that most of the things he's done for Fiore were with the help of his Nakama. He didn't really do those things by himself, they're things that Fairy Tail and other mages have done as a whole. If you wanted to persuade Jura that Master Natsu would make a good candidate for a Wizard Saint, you would have to make a recommendation for any of our other guild members or mages in general who helped him."

"Whu- What do you mean?"

"Even though Master Natsu was the mage to defeat the leader of the Oration Seis which destroyed Nirvana, he told me that the only reason he wasn't killed in that fight was because Jellal lent him the remaining magic he had left to escape their leader's most powerful spell. When Master Natsu fought Jellal before this to stop him from activating the Tower of Heaven, part of his victory was sheer luck. He ate the Ethernano used to construct the Tower of Heaven hoping that it would contain Fire Magic which he could use to replenish the magic he lost. What he didn't realize was that Ethernano contains all sorts of magical particles not specific to Fire Magic which could have killed him on the spot. As for the Magic Coalition being a reason, that was organized by Gran Doma. Master Natsu simply made suggestions that were incorporated into it." Reedus lied. He knew he wasn't allowed to tell Sherria the true purpose of the Magic Coalition.

His train of thought was interrupted by the pink haired girl. "But what about power? That's probably the most important reason for becoming a Wizard Saint! I mean… Jura was given the title of Wizard Saint by Gran Doma because his Earth Magic had power that matched Jellal's! I remember when Lyon told me about the score that Master Natsu achieved on the Magic Power Finder. I'm pretty sure it would be around the same as Jura's"

Reedus agreed slightly. "You have a point. Master Natsu is the most powerful mage in Fairy Tail aside from Eiji; even Kagura has trouble keeping up with them from time to time. I could see why you think that this alone would be a reason to recommend Master Natsu. The thing is though, he's still really reckless when it comes to using his power. That number he scored on the Magic Power Finder wouldn't be useful in an actual battle because he used up 100% of his Magical Potential just to activate the spell he used. Even today he still has trouble achieving the same number… Nonetheless be able to walk afterwards on a consistent basis."

"But his most powerful spell is just as strong as some of Jura's!"

"Exactly. His MOST POWERFUL spell is just as strong as the ones that Jura is able to use without breaking a sweat. Jura's able to activate tons of different spells with the exact same power that could completely wipe out our guild members in one blow or completely make all of our combined attacks completely useless. Whether they're offensive or defensive, he'd be able to match Master Natsu's strongest spell without giving it a second thought."

"Hmm..." Sherria began to grow disappointed the more she realized she couldn't persuade Reedus.

"Not to mention… That doesn't change the fact that Master Natsu uses this power recklessly from time to time. I can only imagine how powerful this Raven Tail Guild Master bastard is seeing the state that he put Master Natsu is in, but the fact that he charged him full force without giving it any second thought was reckless for even him of all people. I would have done the same thing if I realized Kagura's life was now on the line, but that just goes to show how Fairy Tail mages do anything for their Nakama without any thought or reason. That's probably why the Magic Council hates us in the first place, so Natsu's personality would be an automatic disqualification unless he can 100% mature." He ended by chuckling.

"So… I guess it's a no." Sherria glumly sank on her seat.

Reedus brightly smiled, ruffled her hair, and hugged her shoulder. "Maybe if Master Natsu is able to lead the rest of our Magical Alliance to save Kagura and put an end to Raven Tail once he's better, that would be a definite step in the right direction. Right now though, he's just not ready: physically, mentally, and controlling himself emotionally."

Sherria pouted one last time and crossed her arms. "This whole Magical Alliance thing better be a step in the right direction for him." Even though Reedus tried to brighten Sherria's mood by looking towards the possible future, the God Slayer couldn't help but feel disappointed that she still wasn't able to help Natsu at all.

The Pict Mage noticed this and immediately tried to change the subject. He got up from the bar stool he was sitting on, picked up Archenemy and the Raven Tail Guild files, and ruffled Sherria's hair. "C'mon. Aren't you hungry by now? I'll make us something to eat until Eiji gets here. We'll take some food down to the rest of the Magical Alliance in case they can't sleep."

This immediately brightened Sherria's mood. "Good idea! I'm getting hungry from all that fighting we did earlier."

* * *

"Alright you two. We're getting closer towards Clover Town. You're lucky we got here this fast even though it's so dark outside. I don't even think the Magic Council Rune Knights had time to beat us." Kurohebi spoke out loud towards the two men walking on the sides of him.

The one to the left began respond. "What do you want us to do? Are we just going to head straight to the basement?"

"First off, we're going to use **Telepathy** to communicate from here on out." Kurohebi signaled to the man who started speaking to him to allow their thoughts to be transferred between each other.

The man outstretched his right hand and held out his index and middle finger towards his head's temple. This allowed his thoughts to be transferred to Kurohebi and the other mage beside him. "So why does it matter if we use telepathy when we're going to be there by ourselves?"

"I have no idea how far those Fairy Flies have gone from our guild hall. For all we know, they could be burying that Master Natsu of theirs by a nearby campsite if they happened to set one up. The last thing we need it to walk into our guild hall and have all our tied up guild mates regain consciousness from us speaking too loud. It's been long enough to the point where they're probably just knocked out by now. If we wake the rest of our guild mates up, they'll start a riot once they think we're there to save them. The last thing we need is for that damn Magical Alliance to be nearby and hear them from inside the guild hall."

"And what if they're already conscious?"

"Immediately switch from telepathy to your **Sound Magic** and mute whatever loud noise they make. The reason I want you using telepathy first instead of just using Sound Magic to mute their voices is because if they are unconscious, I don't want our movements waking them up and have a completely new distraction to deal with."

"That makes sense. So we make sure we're not caught, get inside the guild hall, get the documents, and split?"

"For the most part. There's one more thing though. If things go south, I want you to use me to get your magical back. It should be enough to transport the rest of the guild."

This caused the man to stop walking and widen his eyes. "Kurohebi. If you do that, it'll-"

"I know what'll happen, and that's just as a last minute resort. It'll give you guys just enough magic to tie up the loose ends."

"But why would you do that when we can just go back to our headquarters!"

Kurohebi snapped his head and glared. "I don't think you realize how much trouble the three of us are in already because you two failed to burn all the evidence. If Alexei finds out, he's not just going to kill us. He's going turn us into test subjects like Kagura to harvest the power from Lacrimas. Removing the Lacrima isn't what's going to end up killing us if we end up like her… It's the physical torture our bodies are going to have to endure in order to strengthen the Lacrima. I saw what Wataru had to experience to pack as much power into his Lacrima implant, and I can confidently say that I'd rather kill myself before I end up like either him or what Kagura will end up like."

This caused both men to gulp. "Are you saying you'd rather die-"

"Yes, you dumbasses… I'd rather die quickly than put my body through what Kagura is about to experience from Wataru's testing."

* * *

Scene Change – Unknown Location, A Few Hours Earlier

Kagura still had tears streaming down her face ever since Nullpudding and Kurohebi left her cell a few hours ago. _"Yuh- You bastards… What did you do with him?"_ She spat in her mind over and over. She wish she could continue screaming it out loud in intimidation, but she had long lost her voice and physical strength to do so. "No… What _are you going to do with me…?"_ She never received a response from both of these.

Her head was hung and she was in so much emotional pain that she learned to cope with her magical restraints pulling at her right hand. It even began to slowly clot from the large gashes on it due to her fight with Kurohebi.

The purple haired girl didn't get the chance to continue muttering in her mind. Another man that she recognized from after Nullpudding and Kurohebi left began to slowly enter the dimly lit cell. He slowly began stepping towards her with as much intimidation he could muster.

" **Clang… Clang… Clang…"** The sound of the man's golden medieval armor resounded throughout the room causing Kagura to lift her head out of slight fear.

Her purple hair was now frizzy because of the sweating that was caused from her struggling from being chained. The man wearing the armor barely revealed his figure in front of the torches that provided Kagura with light.

For a second, all Kagura could do was gaze into the slits carved inside of the man's golden mask which she could only assume housed his void eyes. She then clarified the line she was repeating in her head over and over from before. "What did you do to me after Kurohebi left?" She spoke in fear.

The man remained much more calm and spoke stoically. "I assume you're referring to when I entered your cell right after Nullpudding and Kurohebi left?"

"Yeah… What did you do to my body? You held your gauntlets above my head and just held them there for a couple of minutes. I thought I saw Ethernano particles disappearing into the air the whole time."

"I simply performed the Lacrima implant needed to achieve the desired results I expect from you."

This caused Kagura to scoff. "You're psychotic. Like hell I'm doing anything you tell me to. It's not like you can force me to strengthen whatever Lacrima you put inside my body."

The armored man hoarsely chuckled. "That's where you're mistaken." This caused Kagura to shiver out of fear.

The man then held up his gauntlet and snapped his metallic fingers. Immediately, the two men who were Nullpudding's apprentices opened the barred cell from the hallway. Then propped the cell open and dragged a person who was tied up by their hands into the light surrounding Kagura. The tied up person had a brown bag over their head which concealed their identity.

The two men threw the bagged victim a few feet in front of Kagura to allow her to see them.

" **Thud!** " The sound of the victim made as he was thrown against the floor. "Mmmmpphh! Mmmmppphhhh!" The victim continued to groan into his muffled bag upon impacting the floor.

Nullpudding's apprentices then lowered two magical restraints from the ceiling, stood the victim up, untied the victim's hands, and shackled them towards the ceiling. They then tore the brown bag off the victims head which revealed the face of a young man with a gag inside his mouth.

The young man immediately began to dart his head from side to side in an attempt to find his assailants. He eventually turned his head and allowed his eyes to rest upon a beautiful purple haired mage shackled in front of him. "Mmmmmphhhhh! Mmmmppphhhh!" He pleaded into Kagura's fearful eyes for her to help him.

The only way Kagura could react was for tears to well up in her eyes causing them to gloss over.

The armored man watching the scene unfold through his mask nodded in satisfaction. "You may leave now." He instructed Nullpudding's apprentices to do so. The two men bowed in acknowledgment before removing the cell's prop and making their way back into the hallway.

The armored man turned his mask to stare towards the two shackled mages. He cleared his throat and began to speak to Kagura. "I told you before. One way or another, you will strengthen the Lacrima that's inside your body: not for our sake, but for the sake of innocent mages. Fairy tail mages protect others in need, so let's see what you value more. Will you chose to comply with my orders, or would you rather watch this innocent man die?" He maniacally spat.

The armored man began to back away from the light source around the two mages in order to witness the scene unfold. He leaned against the cell's bars and extended his right hand towards the middle of the cell. A pitch black magic circle began to protrude from his hand while another one emerged from below the three mages and covered the entire floor of the room. " **Darkness Dimension:** _ **Phantom Attack**_ **.** " The man lowly chanted.

Out of nowhere, the entire cell that the mages were in began to dissipate into complete darkness.

This caused Kagura and the tied up man to widen their eyes in fear and dart their heads from side to side. After a few seconds, the entire room was replaced by an endless darkness. The only things the two mages could see aside from each other were the armored man standing in the distance and the shackles that restrained their hands.

Kagura was on high alert. She frantically looked in every direction to see if there was anything that could harm the gagged man in front of her. After not seeing any threat aside from the armored man in the distance, she lifted her head to see if anything was above her. What she saw caused her eyes to widen in complete horror.

Kagura's reaction didn't go unnoticed by the gagged man who reluctantly looked up with her. His eyes also widened in horror which caused him to plead through muffled screams. "MMMMPPPHHHH! MMMMPPPHHH!"

Up into the endless darkness above the mages was a hale storm of cloaked figures descending towards the gagged man. They looked similar to the **Shades** that Master Jose used to attack Fairy Tail. The only difference was that the cloaked figures resembled soulless phantoms.

The purple haired mage then threw her head back down and glared towards the armored man off to the side. "You- you can't be serious you sick bastard! What kind of joke is this?! How the hell am I supposed to stop those phantoms from killing us!" She finished by gesturing towards the gagged victim and the cloaked figures that were closing in on him. The purple haired mage then looked back up to the phantoms to see if she could find some way to stop them.

The armored man shook his head at the insult Kagura threw at him. He raised his right hand again and directed his attention to the fleet of phantoms closing in. A black magic circle appeared around the phantoms which caused them to glow a blood red aura.

" **AAAarrrrrgghhhhhhhhh!** **Aarrrrrrggghhhhhhh!** **"** The phantoms snarled while dark magic coursed throughout their bodies. The increase in magical potential allowed them to descend at an even faster speed towards the gagged man.

Kagura's eyes bulged in horror at how little time was left. She snapped her head back down towards the chained man who was frantically trying to break himself out of his magical restraints. The man looked into Kagura's hazel eyes which were pleading for her to help him while tears welled up in his eyes.

Kagura shook her head in an attempt to snap her out of her dazed state. A comforting smile plastered across her face when she realized how to stop the phantoms from attacking. "Don't worry! I'm going to help you. This bastard forgot that even though I'm a Master Sword Specialist, I don't use Sword Magic. I use a magical item called Archenemy. I shouldn't have any problem cutting through these magical restraints." She spoke confidently while lowering her chained hand for her sword's scabbard. Her hand fumbled around her hip for Archenemy which caused her eyes to widen out of fear. Her head darted downwards which confirmed her worst fear. "Nonononono… Don't tell me Archenemy isn't with me!"

The armored man standing off to the side maniacally chuckled. "Kurohebi tells me that your precious sword was left at the guild hall, so if I were you, I would start utilizing that Lacrima inside your body to stop those phantoms from completely destroying that man's body."

The gagged man closed his eyes and averted his gaze from the phantoms that were only seconds away. The only thing he was capable of doing was whimpering in distress.

Streams of tears began to run down Kagura's face as the phantoms closed in on man. "PLEASE! JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT AND I'LL DO IT!" She pleaded in agony.

"You know damn well what I want. NOW KILL HIM!" The armored man roared while the phantoms began to extend there arms towards their victim.

Just as they were about to plummet into the man's chained body, Kagura's body began to glow a light yellow. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" She roared in anger. This caused the phantoms to immediately stop their descent and glow the same yellow hue that she was. Kagura immediately darted her gaze from the phantoms towards the armored man in the distance. Without hesitating, the yellow hue around the phantoms hurled them towards the armored man.

The armored man reflexively held up his right hand which caused another magic circle to appear below where the cell's floor should have been. " _ **Darkness Dimension:**_ _ **Canceled!**_ _"_

All the phantoms which were hurled towards him disappeared into the background of the cell which began to return to its original state.

The man who was chained began to quiver uncontrollably at what he just witnessed.

Kagura's body began to rack out of disbelief. She was not only scarred for life that the man in front of her nearly died, but she was terrified at what she did. "No… That wasn't me. I can't move things without even touching them."

Alexei plastered a sinister grin underneath his mask. "You can… Now. Quite ironic, am I right? That Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima that your Guild Master had on him during our fight was originally mine to begin with, so technically I didn't really steal it from him after we finished our battle. That's how I knew it was inside his cloak's pocket."

Kagura initially glared. "What are you going on about? That Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima had its magical properties removed. That's because the original owner abused its power by implanting it into his own son: Laxus Dreyar!" Kagura stopped speaking the minute she yelled Laxus's name. Her eyes bolted open and her mouth opened slightly. She could only whisper one word. "No..."

Alexei cackled. "I think you realize my true identity now. My name is Ivan Dreyar, and I am the Guild Master of the Raven Tail Guild hall."

Kagura wanted to scream at Ivan for being so cruel and viscous now that she met him, but she could only wonder what he planned on doing with the Lacrima now. "Are… Are you saying that I can use Dragon Slayer Magic." She began to fear.

"Don't be foolish. I didn't think my identity would shock you this much. You very well saw what your Lacrima's capabilities are."

Ivan paused to turn his back to Kagura and pace the room. "When my father removed the Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic properties from the Lacrima inside of you, even I knew that there was absolutely no way to recover the magic: especially since it's a lost magic. Instead, I opted to restore a much more potent type of magic to it. It's called **Gravity Change,** and that's the reason why that man is still breathing over there."

The man in the corner cowered in fear as Ivan pointed towards him. The armor clad Guild Master reapproached Kagura until his face was inches away. He continued speaking with a startling calm tone. "Whether you like it or not, that Lacrima allows you to manipulate the gravity around others, and you're going to continue strengthening it both physically and mentally until we don't need you anymore. Even though I was a part of your guild long enough to learn that you Fairy Flies would never help a dark guild out and betray their family, would you rather have an innocent person suffer from you not cooperating?"

With that, Ivan turned around and walked towards the entrance of the dimly lit cell. As he exited back int the hallway to return to the main guild, the two dark mages who brought the gagged man into the cell reentered and dragged him out by his arms. " **MMMMMMPPHHH! MMMMMPPPPHHHH-!"** The man began to plead.

That was the last thing Kagura heard before the man was dragged into the hallway and out of her earshot. All Kagura could do was grit her teeth in sadness, frustration, and grief as tears dripped onto the cold concrete beneath her. "I'm… I'm sorry Natsu."

* * *

Scene Change – Clover Town, Present Day Time

The darkness of the night had fully settled in at the guild hall back in Clover Town. Reedus and Sherria refused to leave Natsu's side at the bar despite them being totally exhausted. Both of their heads rested in the crook of their arms.

Just as the due began to doze off into sleep, a harsh creaking sound came from the entrance of the guild hall. The two mages bolted upright in their seat and turned around towards the sound behind them.

The double doors across from them slowly began to open allowing the soft moonlight of the nighttime sky to peer into the guild hall. The moonlight slowly began to settle around the silhouette of a blonde man standing in the doorway. The man was wearing a pitch black cloak that closely resembled Natsu's. In his arms was a religious book that he used for reciting holy scriptures, spells, and incantations. He was panting heavily due to exhaustion. He recollected his composure and slowly lifted his head towards the Pict mage sitting in bewilderment at the bar.

As the guild's double doors began to close behind the mysterious man, Reedus recognized the silhouette and said one word before bolting towards the entrance to greet him. "Eiji."

Eiji met Reedus halfway across the guild's floor and embraced the Pict mage in a man hug. "Ruh- Reedus? We don't have much time. Show me where Master Natsu is." Eiji spoke short of breath. He didn't even have time to realize that the Reedus was holding Archenemy in his hand.

Reedus wasted no time in leading Eiji towards the bar. Sherria meekly smiled at the man approaching her and spoke to grab his attention. "Huh- Hey Eiji? My name is Sherria. Umm… Is there any way that I can help you and Reedus out"

Eiji returned the smile and responded. "Don't worry Sherria. I'll let you know if there's anything you can help with."

This was enough to quiet Sherria and give Eiji some time to examine Natsu's condition.

Eiji carefully approached the bar's countertop. His eye's widened when he caught a full glimpse of his Guild Master. "Out of all the Dark Guilds I've fought in the past, I've never seen so much dark magic in my life." He whispered under his breath while carefully lifting parts of Natsu's cloak to further examine his body.

"But- But you'll be able to save him… Right?" Sherria began to grow anxious.

Eiji turned his head and gave her a confident smile. "Well… There isn't much time left, but if I start now, everything is going to be fine. Just tell me what Curse Master Natsu was hit by and I'll get to work."

Reedus's face went slightly white when he heard this. "Nuh- None of us know anything about Dark Magic. That's why we were hoping you'd be able to help Master Natsu out."

"That's fine then. What about the person who cursed Master Natsu? What did he say when he activated the spell?"

Reedus only began to grow more fearful now. "Pardon me, but I have no idea. I wasn't there when he got cursed. We can go ask Jura though. He was there when Master Natsu was attacked so maybe he can help you."

Eiji began to nod his head in agreement. "That's the best option we have right now. The only way I can help Master Natsu is to know a general idea of what type of Curse-." The Demon Slayer never got the chance to finish.

Before they could begin finding a way to transport Master Natsu to Jura, the entrance of the guild slowly began to creak open again. This time, much more slowly then when Eiji entered.

"The Magic Council Rune Knights got here fast." Reedus chuckled without even bothering to divert his attention to the doorway.

Instead of Magic Council Rune Knights, three men stood in the doorway. The most distinctive one was wearing black lipstick coupled with a black skivvy and scaly shorts.

Reedus's smile vanished once he realized the identity of the three men. "IT'S YOU GUYS AGAIN! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU BASTARDS TAKE HER?!" He roared while standing up from his bar stool in a defensive stance.

Eiji threw himself to stop Reedus from charging towards the men. "REEDUS! Calm down! I don't know who the hell those guys are, but we'll figure everything out once we're done removing this Curse from Master Natsu! We don't have any time left!" Eiji finished by nudging his head towards where Natsu was laying on the bar's countertop. Both Reedus and Sherria winced when they saw the Guild Master violently cough up blood which was tinted a pitch black color from the curse placed on him.

The two men beside the one wearing the black lipstick ignored Natsu's condition and began to stutter. "Kur- Kurhebi! Those Fairy Flies are still here!"

Kurohebi whacked them over the head out of rage. "I can see that you complete dumbasses! You two head to the basement and get those files. I'll hold these guys off until we can use one of those Fairy Flies to get our **Teleportation** magic back. Don't worry about the other guild members tied up if they regain consciousness."

Reedus's furious facial expressions immediately began to grow into a confident smirk. He reached towards the countertop and held up the files that Kurohebi was referring to. "Pardon me… But do you mean these files?"

Kurohebi's eyes flew open in bewilderment which only caused Reedus to chuckle. "I've already shared them with the rest of the Magical Alliance, so even if you plan on killing us, it won't do you any good unless you plan on taking on Jura and all the other mages with us. The only reason you returned was to destroy this before we got our hands on it. The Magical Alliance is going to come back up here any minute to check on Master Natsu and what's causing all the ruckus. Since you're out of **Teleportation** magic, when everyone sees that you decided to return, we're going to force you to take us to wherever your Guild Master is hiding."

Kurohebi gripped his black hair in anguish. "SHIT!" He roared in frustration. He turned his head to look at his two accomplices and muttered. "Forget about using one of those Fairy Flies to get our teleportation magic back. It won't matter since they already shared that information with the rest of the Magical Alliance."

The man to the right of him began to widen his eyes. "Then- Then what do we do now since we can't use them to get our magic back?!"

Kurohebi shook his head and lowly spoke. "We already discussed what's going to happen." He finished by lowering his gaze to his feet.

"Kurohebi? You can't be serious. We can at least try to put up a fight! We won't know how strong these Fairy Flies are until we actually fight them."

Kurohebi grasped the man's collar and barked. "The three of us can't take on the entire Magical Alliance by ourselves, and there's no way I'm going to become a test subject for Alexei just because you morons screwed up with these files. This is the end of the line."

Kurohebi grimaced for the last time while shoving his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a sharp dagger and held it to his own throat. "You know what to do. This should give you enough Magical Potential to Teleport Flare, Nullpudding, Obra, and the rest of their apprentices to help you guys out. You should be be able to put an end to these Fairy Flies once and for all."

"What if we're not able to?! For crying out loud, we're up against the strongest legal guilds in Fiore!" The man began to panic from next to Kurohebi.

"Well… That's why I'm doing this while I still have the chance."

Reedus began to bolt towards the group of dark mages out of fear of the worst. "What the hell are you doing you sick bastard?!"

The Pict mage was too late. With one quick slash, Kurohebi drove the blade across his throat which sputtered an endless stream of blood across the floor. The two apprentices of his momentarily flinched in horror at the sight of Kurohebi's body falling to guild's floor and convulsing. Once the body came to a final rest, they looked towards each other and nodded while kneeling down to the blood that was pouring out of the open wound. They both knew what had to be done. They hovered their hands over the blood while particles of Ethernano began to float into their palms.

Eiji was still next to Sherria. All he could do was cover the young girl's eyes to avert her gaze. He watched in disgust as he knew that the two dark mages in front of him were trying to use Kurohebi's magic. "I've seen this countless times before. You Dark Guilds are all the same. You use your comrades just to extract all the magical potential in their bodies so you can gain the upper edge on an opponent during a fight. Your pal of yours must be pretty confident in you two if he thinks you'll still be able to take me on since I specialize in fighting dark guilds." Eiji snarled.

The two mages finished extracting the particles of Ethernano from Kurohebi's blood from the guild's floor. They slowly stood up and lifted their heads. Both of them had maniacal smirk plastered across their faces. The one closest to Kurohebi's corpse began to walk towards the group slowly. "Who said we're the ones going to fight you?"

Before Eiji got the chance to let go of Sherria so he could stop them, the dark mages held up their right hands and snapped their fingers together.

Out of nowhere, a bright light was flashed from behind Kurohebi's body which completely blinded Eiji, Reedus, and Sherria. The three of them immediately took a defensive stance and eventually opened their eyes in complete horror once the bright light vanished.

Behind Kurohebi's body were three dark mages from the same guild. Even though none of them were recognizable, each one of the dark mages had three apprentices with them who had similar guild attire that the two men next to Kurohebi were wearing.

The first mage with the group was a woman with long, orange hair and a demented smirk on her face.

Next to her was an extremely short man with a blonde stubble and purple skin. His back was hunched over his shoulders which made him look much older than he appeared.

The final member of the group was what appeared to be a blue puppet with a protruding nose that towered above everyone else. The puppet had a large, triangular nose and large lips plastered across its face. Its appearance caused Sherria's hair to stand up slightly and lose her defensive composure. Even Eiji was frightened, and he knew that he was one of the strongest mages of Fairy Tail: maybe even stronger than Natsu. _"_ _These guys aren't playing around. I can feel their dark magic practically smothering my_ _H_ _oly magic from all the way over there."_

Each one of the members had the mixture of three male and female dark mages accompanying them.

The dark mages who were teleported to the guild hall began to reluctantly open their eyes to check if the blinding light was gone.

The woman with orange hair was the first to spot Kurohebi's corpse sprawled across the floor in the pool of his own blood. She gritted her teeth together in anger and rage while stuttering his name out loud. "Kur- Kurohebi… You really did it." She then glanced at her other two comrades and spoke their names out loud. "Nullpudding? Obra? Is he…?"

"Flare, you know what he had to do," Nullpudding growled. He knew what Flare was about to ask. Even though they all knew that Kurohebi's life was beyond saving, the short man held his breath and approached his lifeless corpse just so Flare could accept the situation. He kneeled down and placed his fingers against Kurohebi's neck and slowly felt his pulse fading away into silence. Kurohebi was dead.

The purple man stood up and shook his head in response to Flare. His eyes darted towards the three members of the Magical Alliance and eyed Natsu's body resting behind on the bar's countertop. A dark grin spread across his face as he spoke towards the group. "I have to tell you, I think I'm speaking for all the other Raven Tail mages here when I say you guys don't understand how bad we want to rip the wings of you Fairy Flies for what happened to Kurohebi."

Reedus snorted at this hollow threat. "Don't worry. I think we know exactly how you bastards feel considering we have no idea where Kagura is captured." He replied sarcastically to the short man while holding up Archenemy.

This response caused Eiji's eyes to bulge open in horror. He turned to Reedus and stuttered when he saw Archenemy in his hands. "I- I can feel their dark magic completely smothering my Holy magic, but you're telling me that thuh- these guys were still strong enough to capture Kagura? Is that why you were pissed off at Kurohebi?"

All Reedus could do was lower his head and nod in silence before Nullpudding interrupted him by teasing. "You seem smart… Exorcist. I mean, you're not underestimating us like Kagura and Reedus did. Too bad we're going to have to kill you."

"I suggest you don't underestimate me also. There's a reason why I'm known by that name." Eiji threatened while a white aura began to glow around his body.

"I wouldn't dream of it. All the dark mages in Fiore know about your impressive track record when it comes to busting dark guilds, but do you know what's REALLY ironic about this whole situation? Salamander over there already tried to save Kagura during his fight with our Guild Master to find out where our headquarters is. Even if you Fairy Flies somehow manage to live, how does it feel that he'll know that Kagura is being experimented on? Instead, he's barely able to breath over there all because he was trying to be a hero. He just dragged you into this mess he created. Anyways, it's not like that's going to be a problem you'll have to deal with for long. This is where it ends for the Magical Alliance."

Once Nullpudding finished speaking, he backed up towards the rest of the Raven Tail mages without giving Reedus or Eiji a chance to respond. After a few moments, a massive aura of darkness began to flare up around them causing the three members of the Magical Alliance to back up against the bar's countertop.

Flare's hair turned a pitch black color which resembled flames, Obra began to levitate in the air, and Nullpudding's skin was completely covered by a layer of black magic.

The rest of the guild member's eyes turned completely dark while they all extended their right arms towards the bar's countertop. Immediately, the aura around their bodies began to transfer dark magic into the palm of their hands to form a sphere. Each moment they focused their magic caused the sphere to increase in size.

A howling wind began to stir up around the guild hall which caused Eiji to snap out of his daze. "REEDUS?! SHERRIA?! SHOW ME WHERE THE MAGICAL ALLIANCE IS. WE'LL DEAL WITH THESE GUYS LATER!" He shouted over the raging attack forming.

"THEY SHOULD BE IN THE BASEMENT! JUST TAKE CARE OF THESE GUYS FIRST SO WE CAN HELP MASTER NATSU! SHOULDN'T YOUR HOLY MAGIC BE ABLE TO STOP THOSE RAVEN TA-" Reedus never got the chance to finish.

Eiji shoved his religious book and holy scriptures into his cloak's pocket, covered his entire body in Holy Demon Slayer Magic, and slung Master Natsu's unconscious body over his back; the Holy magic around his body kept him unfazed from the darkness that surrounded his Guild Master.

He used the remainder of his strength to grab Reedus's and Sherria's arms and drag them towards the guild's staircase leading to the basement through the sea of unconscious dark mages. To his horror, the howling coming from the Raven Tail members completely stopped.

Eiji didn't bother turning back because he knew the attack that was ready to be launched. He was out of time. " **JUMP!** " He roared at the top of his lungs. Instead of waiting for them to listen, he shoved the two mages down the guild's staircase. Eiji then hurled Natsu and him down while clutching the unconscious Guild Master to his body.

" **SSSSSSShhhhhhiiiiii- DOOOOOOOOOMM!"** The sound of Raven Tail's attack whistled through the air before impacting the top of the stairwell. The massive explosion created by Raven Tail completely drowned out the groans from the Fairy Tail mages impacting the basement floor.

Dust and debris flooded the entire guild hall as the ceiling above Eiji, Reedus, Natsu, and Sherria collapsed with the walls separating them from the rest of the Magical Alliance. When the dust finally cleared, the entire stairwell and infirmary entrance was destroyed. The three mages slowly raised their heads as pain coursed throughout their bodies and were met with the rest of the Magical Alliance in a defensive stance expecting an intruder to attack.

Sherria meekly groaned and smiled up at them. "Huh- Hey guys. Guess who I got to meet?" She coughed while nudging towards the Holy Demon slayer.

"PARDON MY LANGUAGE EIJI, BUT WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?! YOU COULD HAVE TAKEN THOSE RAVEN TAIL BASTARDS ON WITH YOUR HOLY DEMON SLAYER MAGIC!" Reedus interrupted in frustration. He clawed around for Archenemy and pulled it towards him on the ground.

Eiji ignored the Pict mage, scrambled to his feet, and repositioned Natsu on his back. He began staggering into the infirmary with his Guild Master and laid him on the only bed that was still intact from the blast. It was currently lying right in the middle of the room.

None of the Magical Alliance members let their guard down. They scrambled to help Reedus and Sherria get back on their feet and supported them into the infirmary. Jura led the group to where Eiji placed Master Natsu while asking Reedus the question plaguing the rest of the Magical Alliance. "Reedus! What caused that explosion up there? Are you guys hurt from it?"

"Don't worry about us. Sherria and I just have a coupe of bruises."

"What about the explosion?" Jura pressed on.

"Th- That bastard who captured Kagura is back. They know we have the files so that dark mage killed himself so the two mages with him could use his magic to teleport stronger guild members to help them."

"Whoa. That's dedication on a whole 'nother level." Ren chuckled coolly.

"It wasn't dedication. If Kurohebi left here empty handed, I'm pretty sure their Guild Master would hunt them down and use them for experiments as punishment. Kurohebi knewthat he can't take on all of us, so imagine what they do to their test subjects to make him chose suicide." Reedus finished by gritting his teeth because he was reminded of Kagura.

"How many are up there?" Jura returned to the original topic.

"There's 12 of them in all."

"There's 12 of them? Reedus, with all due respect, Eiji made a smart decision by coming down here for help. We don't know how strong they are. If they're anywhere near as powerful as Alexei is, imagine Eiji having to take on 12 of them." He gestured towards the Holy Demon slayer continuing to examine Natsu.

Reedus bowed in sincere apology towards the Holy Demon slayer. "Please Pardon me Eiji. What I said came out wrong. I meant to ask why didn't you just buy us some time to escape? You could have countered those bastards with your own spells. We were nearly killed in that attack and I thought you'd be able to prevent it."

Eiji frowned and responded delicately. "I'm sorry that I put your life and Sherria's in danger. I'll admit that it was a risky move, and all you wanted was to avenge Kagura and find her in time since she means more to Fairy Tail more than anyone can fathom. That's something Fairy Tail taught me. We risk our lives for others even if it means ending up like him," The Holy Demon slayer couldn't help but chuckle while nudging Natsu's body before getting serious, "but there's a difference between being helpful and reckless."

"What do you mean?"

"We can't pull a stunt like Master Natsu and end up like him, that'd just create more problems because I wouldn't be able to save his life. I mean, can you imagine what would have happened to Fairy Tail if Erza sacrificed herself during the Tower of Heaven? Natsu would have been crushed knowing that he could have saved her. That's exactly how I would feel if I couldn't even save our own Guild Master because I fought those Raven Tail mages."

Reedus began to fear the worst. "Are you saying that if you fought back…?

Eiji reluctantly nodded in helplessness. "Dark guilds are my expertise. I could feel those dark mage's magical potential smothering my Holy magic. They're on a whole different level then some Average Joe Dark guild. If I countered that spell of theirs and fought back, I can't say I would have had enough Magic Potential to save Master Natsu."

This cause Sherria's jaw to drop. "Nuh- No way. They're that strong?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Then what do you need from us to save Master Natsu?" Lyon anxiously interrupted.

Eiji shot his head towards Jura and eyed Lyon. "I need you two to fortify the entrance to the infirmary. When those Raven Tail members are done clearing through all that rubble in the stairwell, we're going to have to defend ourselves while I find the right spell to treat Master Natsu."

The Earth Mage wasted no time and bolted to front of the room with Lyon at his side. The two mages took a defensive stance and boomed throughout the guild hall.

" _ **Iron Rock Wall!"**_

" _ **Ice-make: rising glacier!"**_

This caused a massive pillar of rock to protrude from beneath the infirmary and replace the entire front section of the infirmary. Right after the pillars wedged themselves into part of the ceilings frame, Lyon's spell slowly began to rumble throughout the guild's floor. A massive glacier began to rise through parts of the wooden floor and form a second layer of protection.

The rest of the Magical Alliance focused their attention back towards Eiji while Ichiya spoke out loud. "Eiji, what do mean by we're going to have to defend ourselves? How long will you need to find the right spell to help Master Natsu? We could really use you expertise when it comes to fighting these unruly mages." Ichiya interrupted.

"How fast I can help Master Natsu depends on how much information Jura can give me on the Curse that hit him."

Everyone glanced over to the front of the infirmary where Jura finished fortifying the entrance with his magic. He turned around and hesitated before speaking. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to recognize the Curse that struck him. Alexei was able to grab Master Natsu by his throat when he was charged. After that, his body flared up with dark magic which he focused into his hand. A black magic circle appeared beneath Master Natsu's feet and a massive pillar of dark magic completely destroyed the top floor."

Eve and the rest of the Trimens groaned in unison. "Please tell us that's something to work off of."

Eiji nodded his head slowly while gathering his thoughts together. He lowered the infirmary's bed to the floor and sat cross legged beside Master Natsu with his back facing the fortified entrance. He opened one of his religious book from his cloak's pocket which was titled Art of Vanquish, closed his eyes, and spoke to the entire Magical Alliance. "Since the only thing I know is that the Curse was produced from a type of Caster Magic, I'll need to recite this entire Holy Book of Arts until I hit the correct spell to deactivate it. It might be the first verse, or it might be the very last."

"The entire Art of Vanquish?!" Lyon roared in bewilderment. "Didn't you say in a Sorcerer Magazine interview when you first started gaining popularity that it had over 20 chapters in it? We don't have time for that right now!"

"This is the best place it's going to happen. Part of my training with Master Natsu is making sure that I have this entire book memorized during combat, so I'm only holding it open so the spells will work. It's still going to take some time, but you guys should be able to hold those Raven Tail mages off while I deactivate the Curse." Eiji paused to thumb through all the pages.

"Why can't you just multitask so you can help us out at the same time?"

"I'm not going to be able to fight and lift the Curse from Master Natsu. The thing about Dark Curses is that if you're interrupted while reciting a Holy verse, it's effect on the victim will only increase. In this case, the Curse is so strong that it will end up killing Master Natsu. Since I have to recite the entire Art on Vanquish which has only one correct verse in it that will deactivate the Curse, every single one of you needs to work together to protect me so I don't break concentration. Buy me as much time as you can, because if things go wrong and I'm interrupted..."

A short silence fell among the group before Reedus responded. "Wuh- We get it… Eiji? Just promise-"

Before anyone could allow Eiji to begin, the Magical Alliance was interrupted by the sound of falling debris coming from outside the infirmary.

" **Click-clock-click-clock-clock.** " The sound of falling pebbles and wood echoed throughout the stairwell.

"Huh- Hey guys?! I think I see where that Magical Alliance is through all this rubble! It looks like they barricaded them inside the infirmary since it collapsed on them! They're probably trying to buy them some time to heal the Exorcist and those other flies caught in the blast!" One of the dark mages called out from the other side of the fortification. They pushed through the remaining rubble to allow Flare, Nullpudding and Obra to funnel around the barricade with them.

Nullpudding looked up at the wall made of rock and ice, and patted the mage who spotted it on his back. He then directed his attention towards his other two comrades. "Obra? Do you and Flare know what to do once we break through the barrier?" Nullpudding looked up towards the blue puppet.

" **Kehkehkehkeh!"** He received as a response.

"I'm ready when you guys are are." Flare growled towards the rest of the mages.

"Alright then," Nullpudding paused to survey all the other dark mages, "The rest of you guys split up and take on as many of them as you can once we're through."

" **Yes sir!"** The rest of the dark mages chanted in unison.

"Perfect. It's time to squash some bugs! _**Needle Blast!**_ " He roared at the top of his lungs while charging the barricade from the other side.

" _ **Hair**_ _ **Shower: Wolf Fang**_!" Flare spat while her hair took the appearance of a large canine which was launched towards the barricade.

"Darkness blast!" The rest of the dark mages paired up and combined their magic potential to assault the barrier from multiple directions.

The Magical Alliance could now hear the Raven Tail mages relentlessly attacking the barricade separating them. Above them, particles of dust and wood shavings began falling from the ceiling to the ground which piled up at their feet.

Eiji began speaking again with his back turned to everyone. "Guys? I need to start right now if we want to have a chance of saving Master Natsu and stopping these Raven Tail bastards. If you need to ask or tell me anything before I start, now's the time to do so." He began to grow anxious.

Reedus walked up behind Eiji's back and put a hand on his shoulder. "You told us what'd happen if things went wrong and you were interrupted while reciting your Holy verses. Just promise us that things won't go wrong…?" He said while his voice began to quiver slightly.

Eiji confidently nodded while not bothering to turn around. "Don't worry. I'm all fired up now." With that, Eiji's eyes shot open and began to glow a bright white. This caused Reedus to lift his hand of his shoulder and step back towards the rest of the Magical Alliance.

The book in Eiji's hands began to levitate in front of his face while the words began to glow the same color as his eyes. He opened his mouth and began to chant in a startlingly low and calm tone. " _ **Now, at this point in time, a certain man**_ _ **became morbidly ill**_ _ **.**_ _ **The darkness that**_ _ **which has**_ _ **shrouded humanity**_ _ **has plagued this wretched Earth through it's ravaged existence.**_ _ **When he asked to himself, 'Why am I the one**_ _ **to burden the**_ _ **magnitude**_ _ **of the universe?' He would always be left with silence-"**_

Hibiki growled at Eiji in slight frustration. "Damnit! Why didn't he mention that he'd stick out like a sore thumb BEFORE he started?"

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Jura declared before diverting his attention to the rest of the Magical Alliance, "Alright everyone, make a wall from each side of the infirmary in front of Eiji. No one gets near them until that Curse is lifted from Master Natsu!"

None of the mages hesitated after they heard Jura. They all began scrambling to make a line to guard Eiji and took defensive stances in front of him. They knew they didn't have much time because the trembling of the barrier separating them from the Raven Tail mages grew worse with each attack the dark mages continued to unleash on it.

Lyon and Sherria approached Jura who was joining the formation. "Jura, how about we try and hold up our barriers for a little bit longer to buy Eiji some more time?"

"It's not going to make a difference. Sooner or later, they're going to break through our barrier. It's better if we save our magic for when the fight really begins."

"Umm… Jura? Do you want me to help heal you guys out if you get hurt? Or should I try to help you defend Eiji?" Sherria asked from below him.

Jura turned and looked down at her eye level. He guided the young girl towards where Eiji was continuing his Holy verses and sat her down beside him. "You're going to have the most important job of all. I want you to make sure Eiji doesn't get hurt or interrupted by anybody. If he does get hurt, I want you to use you God Slayer magic to heal and support him."

"I'll do my best!" The God Slayer chirped while pumping her arms. A gray magic circle formed in the palms of her hands which she extended outwards towards Eiji. " _ **Sky God Slayer's Secret Art: Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!"**_ She angelically chanted. She then lifted her hands into the sky which caused waves of black air to spiral around them. The black air traveled down her arms which caused gray feather to merge from her body into the spirals. She finished by throwing the spirals downwards toward Eiji which caused them to warp around Natsu and him. The spirals began to kick up wind so strong that it would have ripped apart anyone who entered it.

"Amazing job Sherria!" Jura smiled, ruffled her hair, and returned to the front of the formation once he was at ease. There was one last spot which needed to be filled in, and it was the spot right in front of Eiji.

Before Reedus filled the missing gap in, he ran up to Sherria sitting next to the spiral of wind around Eiji and handed her Archenemy. "Since everyone's going to protect you, Eiji, and Master Natsu, keep Archenemy next to that spell of yours, and make sure no one uses it!" He raised his voice so he could speak above the wind.

Sherria's eyes widened in giddiness when she realized she was holding one of the most powerful Magical items ever created. Even though she was still very young, she began to grow serious when she remembered what Reedus told her. "I promise to blow anyone who gets too close away with my magic!" She declared while putting her hands on her hips.

Reedus couldn't help but chuckle at the young girl's antics. "Don't worry about having to fight! We'll all be right in front of you. No ones going to even get close to you." He reassured her with a smile. The Pict mage then turned around and ran towards the formation to fill the final gap behind Eiji. He joined everyone else and prepared to retaliate against the Raven Tail mages by taking a defensive stance.

The barricade made of ice and rock in front of the Magical Alliance had a large crack which covered the majority of the surface. Instead of collapsing right there, a deathly silence loomed over the basement which caused the crack to stop spreading.

Everyone could hear that the Raven Tail mages stopped attacking the barricade which caused them to tense up in fear.

Reedus only had time to glance over his shoulder to where Eiji was inside Sherria's spell and whisper one last thought. "Please Eiji... I can't lose either of them-" He finished by referring to both Kagura and Natsu.

That was the last thing he said before he was interrupted. " **SSSSSSShhhhhhiiiiii- DOOOOOOOOOMM!"** The sound of another Raven Tail attack whistled through the air before completely shattering the remainder of the barricade. The sonic boom caught many Magical Alliance members off guard which caused them to reflexively cover their ears in pain.

The spell which was unleashed caused a cloud of dust to cover the area where the entrance to the infirmary used to stand. The Magical Alliance members slowly regained their composure and peered into the setting dust. The silhouette of 12 dark mages emerged from the dust cloud and into the infirmary with maniacal grins plastered on their faces.

The sound of Sherria's spell blowing in the background and Eiji's low Holy chanting were the only sounds between the Magical Alliance and Raven Tail until Jura roared one word. " **ATTAAAAACK**!"

* * *

Thank you for you time!


	18. Chapter 18 - Sacred Blaze

**Author's Note:** We've officially passed the halfway point of During Those 7 Years. I still can't believe it's been nearly a year since I created this Fanfiction, and the support you guys have given me is somewhere I never even dreamed of reaching.

That being said, this arc is beginning to wrap up. Hell, I might be able to finish it next chapter. After this arc is finished up, I plan on starting one more before the next timeskip happens. As I stated in a previous Author's Note, the last timeskip before the return of the Tenrou group is still going to be three years long. The general plot is going to contain Kagura and Natsu furthering their relationship.

Until I update next, please let me know how my writing is doing, and if anything changes, I'll be sure to update with a quick Author's note. I'll be seeing you guys around!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 18: Sacred Blaze**

All hell broke loose. Every single Magical Alliance mage was busy protecting Sherria's Wind Barrier from the Raven Tail members who were slowly closing in.

Reedus and Jura were closest to where Sherria's Wind Barrier was and were his primary line of defense. Lyon and the rest of the Trimens began to funnel the rest of the Dark mages outwards away from Eiji.

" _ **Power Perfume!**_ " Ichiya roared out loud while inhaling a scent filled vial. This caused his muscles to bulge out and his body size to increase. He then charged straight into all three of Nullpudding's mages who were commanded to break off from him in order to take down the enlarged Trimen.

The three Dark mages smirked, nodded at each other, and opened the palms of their hands at their sides. Black magic circles appeared in their hands which caused orbs of darkness to form inside of them. Right as Ichiya was about to impact them, the Dark mage in the middle yelled out loud to the other two. "JUMP!"

All three of the Dark mages jumped into the air and flipped over Ichiya's back. The enlarged Trimen was expecting to face an attack head on. Instead, the Dark mages dodged his charge and followed up with a counterattack.

" _ **Darkness Blast!**_ " They yelled in unison through the air while firing their orbs towards his back.

Ichiya was barely fast enough to turn around and protect his body with his muscular forearm. All six orbs orb impacted it in rapid succession which caused him to grunt. "Argh! How were you men able to jump over me!" He exclaimed in pain while his arm began redden. The veins under his skin began to turn pitch black from the Dark magic.

The three Dark mages smirked in satisfaction while they watched Ichiya down another vial of perfume.

" _ **Pain Relieving Perfume.**_ " Ichiya muttered to himself while inhaling the contents. _"Damn. These men can pack some power behind their spells. I can't close in on them at all and their magical potential is way stronger than their guildmates we fought earlier today."_

Ichiya then opened a third vial of perfume and inhaled it. _" **Fleet-Foot Perfume**_!" He yelled while hoping the spell could help him catch him to the mages. He bolted at a breakneck speed towards where the three Dark mages were standing.

The three Dark mages lowly chuckled beneath their breath and prepared to follow up with the exact same counterattack.

Even though the _**Fleet-Foot Perfume**_ increased Ichiya's speed dramatically, the three Dark mages still had enough time to jump over him.

Ichiya watched as the three mages dodged his attack which cause him to smirk to himself. " _You men might be stronger than me, but you're not smarter."_

The Dark mages never got the chance to begin firing another round of _**Darkness Blasts**_ towards the Trimen's back. Out of nowhere, Ichiya planted his feet into the infirmary's floor which created a small crater. He used the crater to help launch him into the air towards the three Dark mages. None of them had time to change the direction they were moving in to avoid the gigantic mage.

Ichiya grabbed the ankles of the two Dark mages on each side of the middle one and hurled them towards the ground.

" **BAAAANNNG!** " The harsh thud of the two Dark mage's bodies made while they were thrashed across the floor. Ichiya landed right after them in case he had to follow up with another attack to finish the two mages.

"No way! How was he able to change direction that fast and catch up with all three of us in the air?! It's gotta be because of that damn perfume of his." The middle one roared while he escaped unharmed. "Are you guys alright in there!" He finished by calling out towards the dust cloud caused by the two mages impacting the ground.

The mage who escaped couldn't hear anything above the fighting going on around him, so he slowly began to inch towards the dissipating cloud while he leaned forwards to see if he could spot his comrades.

Out of nowhere, one of the Dark mages was hurled from the dust cloud towards the entrance of the infirmary where Nullpudding was watching. He ragdolled against the ground before coming to a stop at Nullpudding's feet. The Dark mage was completely knocked out, and his clothes were completely tattered. He had a large gash on his face with multiple bruises across his body. The Dark mage's condition was enough to stop the final mage from checking up on his other comrade.

Nullpudding looked down in disgust and kicked his apprentice to see if he was still able to fight."Damn those Fairy Flies!" He cursed beneath his breath after he didn't receive a response from him. His head then darted upwards to where the unharmed Dark mage was trembling from the scene he just watched unfold. Nullpudding glared towards the dust cloud and his mage in intimidation. "You'd better get your ass in there." He mouthed at his apprentice while nudging towards the cloud.

This caused his final mage to gulp in intimidation as he slowly began to inch towards the cloud. He slowly leaned forward to see if he could spot either Ichiya or his other comrade, but his eyes widened at what happened next.

Before he could even react, the body of the other Dark mage was hurled straight out of the dust cloud and towards where he was standing.

"Arrrrraaaa **AAAAAGHHHHHHHH!** " The mage thrown by Ichiya screamed in both pain and fear while he flew out of the cloud and towards his comrade. The injured mage smashed into the unharmed one which caused both of them to be hurled into the rubble by the entrance of the infirmary.

Both of the Dark mages who were attacked had scars on their ankles from Ichiya's death grip. The final one was knocked unconscious by the second one who crashed into him.

The dust cloud finally began to set fully which revealed Ichiya back to his normal size. The suit he was wearing was shredded beyond belief, and his body was littered with cuts and bruises. Ichiya closed his eyes, combed his hair back, and spoke one word out loud to himself before collapsing. "Mmmmmeeeeeeennn."

Instead of checking on the condition of his apprentice's or bothering to finish off Ichiya for good, Nullpudding scoffed in disgust and picked up the Dark mage at his feet and tossed him towards the other two Dark mage who landed at the entrance of infirmary.

He then bolted towards where Flare's Dark mages were while jumping over the loose rubble scattered throughout the infirmary. He approached the three Dark mages who broke off from Flare and began to instruct them. "I want you to help me distract Jura and Lyon! Focus your attacks towards that Wind Barrier over there so you grab their attention. I think that little girl is trying to protect the Exorcist and Salamander while the rest of these flies try to buy him some time to use some of his Holy spells to lift that Curse!"

The three Dark mages looked at each other skeptically before questioning Nullpudding. "Sir, with all due respect, how do you know that's the case?" One of them asked.

"Salamander and Exorcist are the only ones I don't see right now, and I could have sworn I heard Exorcist chanting some of those creepy Holy verses that he's known for from inside that Wind Barrier. If he's really trying to find the correct Holy verse that'll save Salamander's life, then we've gotta work together to stop him and the rest of these flies. I don't want to have to deal with Salamander when he's pissed off because we captured his little girlfriend." Nullpudding replied while shivering.

" **Yes sir!** " Flare's three Dark mages chanted in unison. They took an offensive stance while they opened the palms of their hands which revealed black magic circles hovering above them. After a few moments, dark orbs began to form inside the magic circles which they began to launch towards Jura, Lyon, Reedus, and Sherria's Wind Barrier. " _ **Darkness Blast!**_ " They chanted together while splinting up in different directions to fire their attacks from different angles.

Nullpudding jumped into the air and joined the trio by activating his own spell. He pointed his head towards the Wind Barrier while his hair began to glow white and form spiked needles. " _ **Needle Barrage!**_ " He yelled while an endless stream of glowing needles began to fly from his head.

Jura smirked and stepped forward towards the onslaught of attacks. He faced the palms of his hands towards the floor of the infirmary and looked outwards. "This shouldn't be a problem." He stoichally spoke while raising his hands to activate the spell. " _ **Iron Rock Wall**_ **!"** He roared above the chaos. He strategically created multiple pillars made of rock which perfectly blocked all four incoming attacks without wasting any unneeded magic.

Lyon chuckled beside Reedus and spoke out loud while the Pict mage admired the defensive structures. "That's Jura for you. He's always the one with the most modesty when it comes to talking about his power, but he doesn't hold back when it comes to protecting his friends or winning in a battle. As long as he's here, we don't have to worry about any of these Raven Tail bastards getting to Sherria and Eiji." He spoke with confidence.

"Oui… So this is the power of a Wizard Saint." Reedus looked up in awe at how effortlessly Jura was able to defend the rest of them.

One of the Dark mages stopped firing their spells towards Jura's pillars in order to speak to Nullpudding. She signaled for the purple skinned man's attention while the two of them regrouped in the middle so they could get a chance to speak. "Hey Nullpudding! Do you want me to see if I can get to that little girl while you and the rest of Flare's apprentices keep distracting Jura?"

Nullpudding glared towards the mage and scoffed. "You wouldn't be able to get a good glimpse at any of those Fairy Flies before Jura completely destroys you! If he didn't have to defend that Wind Barrier over there, he'd be able to wipe the floor with us without a second thought. Just keep distracting Jura and the rest of those flies defending the Wind Barrier until Flare and Obra see an opening. They have a plan to take care of Jura. After that, it should be downhill from there. Once Jura's out of the problem, we'll be able to take down everyone else." He deviously smirked to himself while breaking off from the other Dark mage to follow up with another round of attacks.

Reedus saw the two Dark mages break up from each other and prepared to help Jura defend Sherria and her Wind Barrier from another round of attacks. " _ **Nature,**_ _ **Run Wild!**_ " Reedus exclaimed while sketching multiple boars on his large stomach. After he finished the sketch, the boars were shot out from his stomach towards the gaps in the pillars that Jura was about to remove.

The boars rounded the pillars and completely caught the Dark mages off guard. Before they could unleash another set of attacks, each one of them was struck by a boar which caused them to be knocked to the ground. Once the boars struck their target, they dissipated into a cloud of dust.

Nullpudding's head was struck by one of them which caused him to fume in rage. "ARRRGGHH! WHERE DID THOSE PIGS COME FROM?!" He roared while clenching his head in pain.

Sherria and Lyon couldn't help but burst into laughter at the scene they overheard.

Even Jura let out a small chuckle before lowering the barriers he used to block the Dark mages attacks. "Well done, Reedus. I didn't even think about someone else using my rock walls for a surprise attack."

The other Dark mages who split off from Obra were occupied fighting the remainder of the Trimens. They overheard Nullpudding's cry and shot their heads towards the purple skinned man and the three of Flare's Dark mages. Once Jura lowered his _**Iron Rock Walls**_ , they also noticed that Ichiya was passed out from taking on all three of Nullpudding's apprentices.

The three of Obra's mages had been fighting Ren, Hibiki, and Eve on the other side of the Wind Barrier. One of Obra's female apprentices spoke out loud while gesturing over her shoulder. "I guess you pretty boys aren't so tough after all. So much for that little troll of yours getting the chance to fight Nullpudding." She referred to Nullpudding's mages defeating Ichiya.

This caused Ren to stop panting and scoff at her remark. "You losers aren't in much place to talk. Even if he can't help us anymore, it looks like our boss just wiped out all three of Nullpudding's apprentices. You still have to deal with the res of the Trimens as well as, Lyon, Reedus, and Jura."

The female apprentice smirked and shook her head. "You're forgetting that Ichiya was one of the strongest mages that your Magical Alliance had. You know damn well that the three of you are having a much harder time taking us down then that troll did taking down Nullpuding's apprentices. Let's see how long you can keep it up before we end up taking down Jura as well." She finished while the three Dark mages extended their arms outwards in an offensive stance which caused a black magic circle to appear at their fingertips. " _ **Darkness Ripple**_!" They chanted in unison. The three Dark mages then swiped their hands across the path of the Trimens which caused black arcs of Dark magic to rapidly project from their magic circles.

The Trimens could barely take the woman seriously when she said they planned to take down Jura. Even though they were getting tired, they sarcastically laughed at her remark while they began to dodge the Dark projectiles being launched at them.

The only Dark mages who weren't fighting were Flare and Obra. They were observing Jura block as many incoming spells from Nullpudding and the three of Flare's apprentices. The Earth mage had no time to counterattack them in fear that one of their spells might hit Sherria or pass through her Wind Barrier and interrupt Eiji.

Lyon momentarily scanned the infirmary when Jura put his rock walls down. Right as the Ice-Make mage was about to help Jura block a third wave of attacks, he noticed Ichiya lying against the infirmary's floor away from the combat. "Jura?! You and Reedus keep holding off Nullpudding and that red haired chick's Dark mages! I'm going to go check on Ichiya. I think I see him by himself and he might be hurt from taking on all three of Nullpudding's Dark mages!"

Jura nodded in agreement. "Good idea Lyon! Me and Reedus will continue to distract them for you!" He exclaimed while Lyon weaved his way around the chaos towards Ichiya.

Right as Lyon broke away from the Wind Barrier, Flare and Obra walked up to Nullpudding and the three of Flare's Dark mages who were busy distracting Jura and Reedus.

Reedus noticed that the two Dark mages finally decided to close in and immediately notified Jura. "Jura! I think Flare and Obra are going to try and overwhelm our defense while Lyon's distracted. That's probably why Nullpudding didn't bother dealing with Ichiya after he got knocked out! He wanted Ichiya to be a distraction for Lyon! Just make sure you watch out for those Dark mages! If something happens to you, they're gonna be able to funnel themselves straight to Eiji!"

Jura once again nodded in agreement. "Don't worry about that Reedus! You're doing an amazing job providing offensive power while I hold them back using my defensive spells. If the two of us keep this combination up, they're not going to get anywhere close to Sherria's Wind Barrier."

The Earth Mage stopped speaking when he saw Nullpudding and the rest of Flare's apprentices regain their composure after Reedus's counterattack. Even though they were still furious at being caught off guard, the Dark mages began to split up again to attack the Wind Barrier from multiple angles. This time, Nullpudding stayed anchored in the middle with Flare and Obra instead of leading the assault.

" _ **Darkness Rend!**_ " Flare's Dark mages roared in frustration. They swiped their hands towards where Jura and Reedus were standing which caused dozens of black magic circles to appear around the room. The magic circles began to rotate at an unfathomable speed while razor sharp blades began to shoot from them.

Jura had no time to make an individual pillar to block the razors coming from each magic circle. He muttered to himself in slight frustration and anxiousness. He then held out his left hand's middle and index finger towards the ground and his right middle and index finger to his temple. "I didn't want to have to use this much Magic in one attack… _**ROCK MOUNTAIN!"**_ His eyes widened while he roared above the chaos. He raised his right hand towards the ceiling which caused a massive warrior made of stone to rise up into the air.

The razors struck the warrior without even dealing a scratch to it. Its blood red eyes made of stone shot fear into all the Dark mages who gazed up to it.

Before Jura could begin commanding the warrior to finish off the Dark mages, Nullpudding held out his arms above his head and began to enlarge them. White spikes began to travel from his shoulders all the way up his arms into the air. " _ **Needle Barrage!**_ " He yelled.

Flare was standing right next to him. Just before Nullpudding activated his spell, she used her **Crimson Hair** to wrap around the needles. " _ **Hair Shower: Firefly Flame!**_ " She spat towards the warrior.

Nullpudding fired the needles towards the warrior made of stone while Flare's hair heated the needles to a molten temperature. Each needle impacted the warrior and passed straight through it like a hot knife through butter.

" _ **Nature, Run Wild**_!" Reedus yelled while sloppily sketching another group of boars on his stomach in hopes he could stop them from approaching Sherria's Wind Barrier. The boars shot out from him and charged towards the remaining needles, but what he wasn't expecting were for the needles to explode once they hit his boars.

" **Kuh-BOOOOM!"** The sound of multiple fiery explosions made which incinerated the area around Jura and Reedus. This caused both mages to reflexively cancel their spells as the heat completely surrounded them.

"JURA! REEDUS!" Sherria covered her mouth while she watched the scene unfold. She knew she couldn't check on their condition or she would risk dropping her Wind Barrier.

Neither Jura or Reedus had time to react. The duo knew that this was the end of the line for them: burning to death. Just before the flames completely engulfed the two Magical Alliance mages which would have caused them to pass out, they heard a young man desperately call out from the other side of the guild. " _ **White Out!**_ " The man's voice cracked in desperation.

Immediately, a massive snowstorm passed over the flames and settled across the side of the infirmary that was set ablaze. The snow quickly subdued the raging fire which generated a massive amount of smoke which impaired everyone's vision.

" **CC** **Ugh-uhh…** **CU** **Ugh…** **C** **Ugh...** " Jura and Reedus coughed from the smoke that entered their lungs. The black cloud slowly began to dissipate throughout the rest of the air while the two mages regained their bearings.

"Wuh- What happened? We should have been burned alive!" Reedus stuttered while looking around the thinning smoke for what saved them.

He eventually laid his eyes on Jura and saw that the Earth Mage was wide eyed in shock. Jura spoke one word towards the person he was looking at. "Eve..." He whispered when he saw the young man a few feet away from them.

Reedus looked in the direction Jura was facing and saw the blonde haired man Jura was referring to.

Eve was clenching his right shoulder which he used to activate the spell. Right behind him were all three of Obra's apprentices who were knocked unconscious thanks to the rest of the Trimens.

Eve gritted in pain as blood dripped trickled down his injured shoulder. "Jura… Reedus… Don't worry about the rest of the Trimens. Ren and Hibiki are fine. They just passed out from using too much magical potential." He then paused to gesture towards the back corner of the infirmary. The two mages were lying against the wall out of harm's way. "We also took care of Obra's apprentices. They won't be a problem for us anymore."

Jura and Reedus bolted towards the Snow mage and embraced him right as he finished speaking. " **Eve?!** **You just saved our lives!** " They shouted in joy while dragging the small man back towards the safety of Sherria's Wind Barrier.

Lyon witnessed the entire scene unfold and began to run up to where all the Magical Alliance mages were now gathered. He was carrying Ichiya on his back and began coughing at the thick cloud of smoke still in the air. "Guys! I was able to check up on Ichiya without those Raven Tail bastards noticing me. I thought I could use some of his perfumes to heal him, but he's still not doing too good. I think he was hit with a couple of Dark spells during his fight with Nullpudding's apprentices, and now it's slowly spreading throughout his body." He interrupted Jura and Reedus which caused them to stop embracing Eve.

All four mages rushed to gather around Ichiya and noticed that one of his arms was wounded from the Dark spells that struck him during his fight with Nullpudding's apprentices. The veins underneath its skin were pitch black and it looked as if a Curse was beginning to poison his blood.

Eve winced at Ichiya's condition and the pain he was feeling, so he removed his hand from the large gash on his right shoulder. "And I don't wanna sound selfish guys, but I could definitely use someone patching me up right now. I get that Master Natsu's and the boss man's lives are on the line right now, but I was stuck by some of the rubble from when Jura's _**Rock Mountain**_ collapsed and I think I'm bleeding out."

"Umm… Mr. Eve! If you come over here, I might be able to use my magic to heal you!" Sherria called out from her Wind Barrier while coating her hands in God Slayer magic.

Jura nodded in agreement. "Sherria's right. There's no need to be modest. She'll heal you up while the rest of us protect the Wind Barrier. As for Ichiya… If Eiji is able to patch up Master Natsu after that Curse he was hit by, then I think we can all agree that he'll have no trouble patching up Ichiya as well." The large man chuckled slightly.

Eve bowed in gratitude. Without hesitating, he slid towards where Sherria was sitting next to Archenemy.

" _ **Sky God's Healing Spell**_!" The young girl chanted while applying her hands to Eve's shoulder.

The Snow mage let out a sigh filled with relaxation as a wave of relief ushered over him while his wound slowly began to heal.

The Magical Alliance was so preoccupied with taking care of Ichiya and Eve that they didn't notice that the smoke completely cleared from around the infirmary during this time. Suddenly, they all heard an eerie echo coming from the middle of the infirmary.

" **Clap…** **Clap… Clap…** Well isn't that just dandy?" A demonic voice called out from in front of them while sarcastically applauding. All of the mages darted their heads towards the eerie sound which revealed Flare, the three of her apprentices, and Nullpudding standing triumphantly on top of the rubble of Jura's warrior.

The confidence that the Dark mages had completely shocked Reedus and the remaining Magical Alliance members. " _Damn these smug bastards. They'_ _ve been fighting just as long as_ _us_ _and they don't even have a scratch on them_ _!"_ Reedus shook his head violently to snap him out of his doubtful thoughts. " _No…_ _Nullpudding, Flare, and Obra were all just waiting for their apprentices to wear us down and make it easier to fight us._ _If Jura, Lyon, and I didn't have to defend_ _Sherria's Wind Barrier_ _, we would have taken care of_ _all these bastards_ _with the Trimens._ "

When Reedus finished thinking to himself, he looked around at the Magical Alliance. As much as he hated to admit it, they were falling apart.

Jura was the only one left who still had tons of magical potential to use. Even then, him and Reedus suffered from multiple burns throughout their body's which strained their movement.

Eve was in no condition to fight which meant that Lyon was now the primary line of defense against the remaining Raven Rail mages.

Lyon eventually scoffed at the Nullpudding's antics. "You sure look all high and mighty standing up there. I don't see why you're clapping when there's only five of you left." He gestured to Nullpudding, Flare, and the three of her apprentices.

Reedus immediately became skeptical once he realized how many Dark mages were left. " _Pardon me,_ _but_ w _ait a second… There's 12_ _Raven Tail mages here_ _in all. There's nine apprentices._ _Ichiya took care of Nullpudding's_ _three._ _Ren, Hibiki, and Eve took care of Flare's_ _three, and_ _O_ _bra's are still there, so that means… Wait… Where's Obra_ _?_ " Reedus's eyes began to wander the infirmary.

He scanned the room and only grew more confused when he saw that Obra was still standing right behind the pile of rubble where the rest of the Raven Tail members were standing on. In fact, it looked as if the blue puppet hadn't moved at all ever since Flare and Nullpudding attacked Jura's _ **Rock Mountain**_.

Then Reedus remembered. " _Th_ _is_ _doesn't make any sense. Obra didn't help attack_ _us_ _, so why is he just standing there? Why is he even here in the first place if he's not going to help those bastards?_ "

Nullpudding wickedly smirked at the irritation plastered upon Lyon's face. He then interrupted Reedus's train of thought and responded to the Ice-Make mage. "So you think we're standing all high and mighty up here? Don't mind us. I'm just getting the chance to cherish Raven Tail's victory with Flare and her apprentices over here." He cackled while playfully punching Flare's shoulder to tease Lyon.

"What the hell are you going on about? How about I make you rethink your victory after I blast you off that mountain of rubble!" Lyon roared while taking an offensive stance in an attempt to intimidate the Raven Tail mages. A light blue magic circle began to form in his hands which signaled that he was ready to activate a spell. The same stance was mimicked by Reedus and Jura who were ready to use their combinations to finish defending Sherria's Wind Barrier once and for all.

Nullpudding held up his hands defensively. "Heyheyhey…! Take it easy guys! The rest of us already know why you Fairy Flies are so on edge. Jura over there could have wiped us out by now, but he's been playing it safe with his defensive spells up until this point for a reason."

"That was a good observation," The Earth mage stoichally responded, "But as far as any of us are concerned, you know nothing else."

"What I do know is that in a few seconds, there's no way that Exorcist over there is going to be able to save your precious Salamander."

Lyon shook his head in rage and disbelief. He had enough of the short man's persona. "Even if we're all worn out physically, you haven't won until you've gotten past Jura's, Reedus's, and my defense combination. Until you can get passed us and Jura's magical potential, YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR MASTER NATSU AND EIJI UNTIL THEY'RE READY TO WHOOP YOU ASS." The Ice mage roared while moments away from initiating another attack.

Just before Lyon could activate his offensive spell, Nullpudding's smile slowly started to widen at what was about to happen. "Let's just say that there's no way in hell you're going to be able to defend that little girl's Wind Barrier if Jura can't use his defensive spells."

Jura didn't have time to react to Nullpudding's threat. He turned his head to his right because he felt a soft patter drop on top of his shoulder from the ceiling. Jura's eyes widened in utter confusion when he saw a small, brown creature staring into his eyes.

Reedus and Lyon also noticed the creature drop from the ceiling, so they all let down their guards and directed their attention to Jura's shoulder.

The creature's eyes were a ghostly white and completely void of emotion. It had wide smile on its face and an orange sweatband which strapped an assortment of leaves to its head. The only attire it was wearing was a black cloak coincidentally shaped exactly like Obra's.

At first, the three of them were speechless as to what the creature was; none of them had ever seen anything like it. Suddenly, Reedus pieced two and two together when he noticed the black cloak that the creature was wearing; it looked exactly like Obra's.

The Pict Mage's eyes flung open when he realized that everything up until that very moment wasn't a coincidence: Flare, Nullpudding, and Obra all using their apprentices to stall them, the blue puppet not moving at all, and the Dark mages forcing Jura to use defensive spells. It all led up to that moment.

He then spoke out loud for in horror. "JURA?! OBRA ISN'T THE BLUE PUPPET! OBRA IS ON YOUR SHOULDER-"

Reedus never got the chance to attack Obra. He helplessly watched as the small creature's eyes glowed an ominous yellow.

Without warning, Jura's eyes began to flutter which caused him to break eye contact with Obra. He lost all feeling throughout his body which caused him to go unconscious and collapse to the floor without another word.

"JURA!" Sherria shrieked while almost reopening Eve's wound out of fear.

"Kehkehkehkehkeh!" Obra cackled out loud. He then leapt to the ceiling and scurried back towards his puppet for safety.

Nullpudding wasted no time at all with taking advantage of the situation. "ATTAAAAACK!" He roared throughout the infirmary. Nullpudding then enlarged his arms while activating a spell. " _ **NEEDLE BARRAGE**_!" He spat while firing his needles at the ceiling. Since Jura couldn't manipulate the earth to defend the Magical Alliance because he was unconscious, Nullpudding tried to collapse the ceiling on top of the mages.

" **Guurrgghhhh…** **Gurrggghhhhhhhh...** " The sound of the ceiling began to make while trembling.

All Reedus was capable of doing was stepping backwards in fear. He forced himself out of his trance by glancing over his shoulder and screaming towards Sherria's Wind Barrier. "C'MON EIJI! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, WE NEED MASTER NATSU AND YOU RIGHT NOW!" Reedus yelled in fear.

Lyon stood his ground and turned around to command the Pict mage. "REEDUS?! GET ICHIYA AND JURA TO WHERE SHERRIA AND THE REST OF THE TRIMENS ARE. WE'LL FIND A WAY TO HELP JURA OUT WHEN WE'RE DONE. RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE ALL MAKE IT OUT OF HERE ALIVE. _**ICE-MAKE CEILING!"**_ He finished by roaring a spell out loud.

"Oui, I'm on it! Just make sure nothing gets past the Wind Barrier!" Reedus agreed while supporting Ichiya and Jura and bringing him to where Sherria and Eve were.

Lyon nodded in response. He knew that defending the Wind Barrier was going to be an impossible feat without Jura, but all the Magic Alliance could do at this point was pray that Eiji could save Master Natsu in time so they could use offensive spells at ease.

The Ice mage then formed a magic circle in each of his palms and kneeled to the ground. This cause an enormous slab of ice to slowly form in his hands. The more the slab grew larger, the more his face began to distort in discomfort and pain from supporting it. Once it was the size of slowly pressed the slab away from his chest and began to straighten his knees to lift it as high as he could. "Come… COME ON! Work with me ice… ARRGHHHH!" He roared out loud while finally being able to make the ice levitate on its own. He straightened his entire body and forced the ice slab towards the ceiling which prevented it from falling down on the Magic Alliance.

"Way to go Lyon!" Sherria cheered in excitement. She then watched Reedus hobble over to where she was sitting with Eve in order to gently lay Jura and Ichiya down.

The Pict mage panted, caught his breath, and darted back towards where Lyon was trying to keep the ceiling from collapsing on the rest of the mages.

Eve noticed how tired Reedus was and how painful it became for Lyon to keep the massive slab of ice levitated. Eve then yelled out to the two mages in front of him while attempting to lift his arm to activate a spell. "Let me help you guys out! You can't win this on your-" He immediately stopped speaking because he winced in pain from trying to move his injured arm.

Sherria grabbed Eve's arm and tugged him back down towards her. "Mr. Eve! You can't move until I'm done healing you! I accidentally hurt your arm some more when that creepy monster jumped on Jura! When your arm is all better, then you can help fight the bad guys." Sherria childishly scolded.

Eve knew it was no use arguing with Sherria. Even if he wanted to, he still couldn't use his magic to activate spells. It was that or he would risk reopening his wound and bleeding out.

Flare's apprentice's noticed that Lyon was using all his strength to support the ceiling with his ice slab, so they decided to take advantage of this by attacking the Wind Barrier head on. They formed magic circles in their hands and leapt off the rubble. " _ **Darkness Blast!"**_ They yelled in unison while launching their attacks from different angles.

Reedus jumped in front of Lyon and countered so he could protect the front of them. " _ **Ghoul's Necromancy**_ _ **!**_ " He activated a spell by sketching skeletons on his stomach. When he finished, an army of skeletons walked out of his stomach and stood in front of them. They all wore black bandannas and were equipped with steel swords which looked worn out.

The army of skeletons charged straight towards the projectiles. Instead of colliding with them like the boars, the they held up their swords and cut through the dark orbs before continuing their paths towards the Dark mages.

" _ **Hair Shower:**_ _ **Strangle**_!" Flare snapped while her hair began to glow a blistering red. She then shot it towards the group of Skeletons that were closing in. Once the skeletons were tangled within her hair, she tightened the grip around them which caused them to explode in a cloud of black dust.

Nullpudding switched spots with the three Dark mages and let them continue to attack the ceiling for him so he could put pressure on Lyon. Now that he was next to Flare, he decided to counterattack with her. " _ **Needle Barrage!**_ " He spat.

" _ **Hair Shower:**_ _ **Firefly Flame**_ _ **!**_ " Flare activated her spell at the same time.

Reedus began to grow anxious when he heard their spells. "Crap! Not this again!" He then yelled towards Lyon. "Lyon?! I can't use my magic to stop their next attack, or another explosion is going to happen and we're gonna get caught in the blast like last time!"

Lyon then looked up towards the ceiling and back down towards Nullpudding and Flare who were about to attack them. He winced in fear, calmed himself by taking a deep breath, and slowly lowered one of his hands away from the ceiling. Immediately, he fell to his knees while the one hand above him began to wobble from still supporting the entire ice slab holding the ceiling in place.

"Urf… Urf..." He gritted in pain while using all the strength he could muster to lift his free hand just in time to activate another spell. The magic he was using to keep the ceiling from collapsing was slowly beginning to crush him. " _ **Ah- Ice Make: Barrier**_!" He desperately called out while he created an enormous wall in front of the Magical Alliance to protect them from the incoming attack.

Right as the chilled wall fully emerged from the bottom of the infirmary, Nullpudding began to fire his needles towards Sherria's Wind Barrier.

Flare used her hair to wrap around the needles and raise them to an even higher temperature then when they first started fighting. Each impact from the heated needles created a massive explosion which made it harder and harder for Lyon to support both the ice slab and the ice wall in front of him. The Ice-Make mage was sweating profusely, but he panted in relief when he felt his barrier stop shaking. " _C'mon Eiji… I can't take this anymore._ " He gritted in frustration.

Before he could continue thinking to himself, Nullpudding's arm then began to form into a massive needle the size of his body. Even though he wasn't going to admit it, Flare and him were beginning to run out of Magical Potential and needed to wrap up the fight. The short man smirked while he roared one last spell. " _ **NEEDLE HORN**_!" His roar echoed throughout the infirmary. He then fired the massive needle which took the place of his enlarged arm.

Flare raised her hair's temperature as high as she could. " _ **Hair Shower: Infernal Blast!**_ " She maniacally grinned while she shot her entire enlarged hair towards the needle. This caused the rest of her **Crimson Hair** to return to normal.

The hair that was shot wrapped around the needle and absorbed into its white surface. The needle glowed so hot that it began to crack down the middle and ooze flames from inside. Without warning, the needle impacted Lyon's barrier without remorse.

" **KUH- BOOO** **OOOOOM!** " The massive needle created an ear piercing explosion which knocked down everyone who was behind it.

"AAAAAAhhhhhhh!" Sherria shrieked below the blast while her ears began to ring. She covered her them reflexively with her hands while the explosion threw her against the floor with Eve at her side.

Lyon couldn't bear it anymore. The explosion threw him and Reedus backwards towards Eve and Sherria while the massive ice slab he was holding above the Magical Alliance collapsed with the rest of the ceiling.

The explosion created from the needle detonating Lyon's wall coupled with the ceiling collapsing caused the entire infirmary to fill with smoke and dust.

The only mages who weren't fazed by the explosion were Nullpudding, Flare, the three of her apprentices, and Obra. They casually walked off the pile of rubble towards where they last saw the Magical Alliance.

A giant gaping hole was created in the ceiling which led to the second floor of the guild hall. The hole was so large that it filtered out all the smoke and dust into the main guild in a matter of seconds.

Once the last of the smoke and dust dissipated, the Raven Tail mages peered through the remainder of it and wickedly smirked at the carnage that was left in front of them.

Lyon and Reedus were completely knocked out next to Sherria's Wind Barrier. Eve was thrown against the floor during the blast and landed on his injured arm, so he passed out immediately from the pain that coursed throughout his body. Jura, Ichiya, Ren, and Hibiki all ended up together sprawled in different positions against the infirmary's back wall.

The Dark mage's then looked in front of the Wind Barrier. Their eyes widened when they saw one of the members of the Magical Alliance still standing.

Sherria was the only one left. Her clothes were torn up from the blast and her legs were trembling uncontrollably.

Nullpudding and Flare slowly walked up to the small girl with sick grins on their face while Obra and the rest of Flare's apprentices stayed back and guarded the exit to the infirmary to prevent anyone from escaping.

Flare spoke to her with a demented tone while cautiously treading closer and closer. "Aren't you just adorable? I'll tell you what, since we gotta kill Salamander and Exorcist really quickly, I'll make you a deal. If you put down that Wind Barrier of yours and make our lives easier, then we won't have to hurt you to do it."

Sherria stood up and pulled out Archenemy's scabbard from behind her."Nuh- Never! I might not be able to use any spells because my Wind Barrier is taking up all my magic now, buh- But I'll fight both you if I have to!" The small girl trembled while her legs began to lose their balance. Even though she was in no condition to fight, she was ready to defend herself with Kagura's weapon as a last resort.

Nullpudding completely lost his composure. " **AHHHHHAHAHAHAHAH!** " He roared while completely ignoring Sherria's threat. He then walked around the small girl and made his way to examine the Wind Barrier.

"Uh… I'm warning you!" A tear fell down Sherra's cheek while she raised the scabbard above her head towards Nullpudding.

Flare also wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "Wrong choice." She began to hoarsely chuckle. She broke off from Nullpudding, approached Sherria, and grabbed archenemy's scabbard with her own bare hands and tossed it to the ground before Sherria could strike them.

The young God Slayer now had mucus falling from her nose in terror.

Flare then used her Hair to grab Sherria by her throat and lift her into the air which caused her to gag in pain. "ACCH- ACHHH-" She tried coughing while her eyes slowly turned red. This caused her Wind Barrier to completely vanish into thin air which revealed Eiji sweating profusely behind it.

The Demon Slayer's eyes were still a ghostly white, and his book was still levitating. He could tell that the barrier was dropped, so he began to hurry up his Holy Verses the closer and closer he got to the end. His voice began to raise with every sentence he finished in fear of not making it in time.

"Nuh- No… Puh- Please..." Sherria barely wheezed in desperation from the grip of Flare's **Crimson Hair**. She knew what Nullpudding was about to do to Eiji.

Nullpudding's eyes darkened when he saw Eiji still occupied with reading his Holy verses to Natsu. "There you are, YOU FILTHY FLIES!" He roared over Eiji's chanting while activating a spell. " _ **NEEDLE BLADE**_!" He then extended his arm upwards which formed into an extremely sharp needle. He ever so lightly ran one of his fingers over the blade which caused it to cut through his skin. " _Perfect_." He muttered in his thoughts at how precise and sharp his needle was. Since Eiji was still sitting, Nullpudding was able to grab the back of Eiji's neck with his free arm and hoisted his blade around the front of Demon Slayer. "THIS IS FOR KUROHEBI-!"

Just as Nullpudding was about to run the blade straight across the front of Eiji's throat, the Demon Slayer roared one last line at the top of his lungs which completely overpowered Nullpudding's spiteful vengeance. " _ **I SUPPOSE THAT THROUGHOUT HIS YEARS, THE CERTAIN MAN WHICH FELL INTO THE ENDLESS DARKNESS WAS, IN ACTUALITY, A REPRESENTATION OF THE SACRIFICES THAT HIS SAVIOR MADE FOR THE REST OF HUMANITY!**_ "

Nullpudding never got to carry out his execution. The pages of Eiji's book began to flutter wildly, while a blinding light expanded from Eiji's eyes and completely engulfed Natsu in a Holy aura. The Aura began to rage freely before it expanded and filled the entire room.

" **MY EYES! I CAN'T SEE**!" All the Dark mages roared in pain and agony while light filled their bodies. Flare immediately let go of Sherria to reflexively cover her eyes. Sherria managed to claw herself back towards where the rest of the Magical Alliance was.

The Dark mages reeled and clutched their eyes which glowed the same ghostly white as Eiji's. All the Magical Alliance members inside the infirmary were surrounded by the same raging white aura as Natsu.

The Curse which spread throughout Ichiya's arm completely vanished while the Dark magic escaped into the air to in an attempt to flee the overwhelming Holy magic.

Jura regained Consciousness and the magic cancellation that Obra used was completely nullified. The Holy aura gave the rest of the Trimens all of their magic potential back which caused them to also regain consciousness.

When the blinding light dissapeared, the entire Magical Alliance was standing in a horizontal line towards the back of the infirmary. Eiji was still on the ground, and he was panting and sweating profusely from finding the correct Holy verse. He slowly looked up and surveyed the infirmary and noticed that one man in particular was standing in front of him. The man he saw caused the most genuine smile to plaster upon his face

The man man in front of Eiji had pink hair, and was wearing chain armor with his signature red cloak on top which separated at his knees. His arm was extended out in front of him, and he clasped Nullpudding's throat in his grip which lifted him off the ground. The man's face had pure rage written all over it: even more intimidation then the times he found out that someone hurt Lucy or made Erza cry. He spoke three words with such monotone that it even frightened Nullpudding. "Where. Is. She." Natsu spoke each word with complete evenness while leaning in.

Nullpudding tried to act like this didn't faze him. "Yuh- You mean your little girlfriend? I'll… I'll never speak." He confidently smirked while wheezing. Natsu's tightening grip was preventing him from breathing.

Natsu was done playing around. Without hesitation, he hurled the short man towards the entrance to the infirmary which caused him to slam into Flare. Both of them were launched backwards into Obra, his puppet, and the three of Flare's apprentices.

The Dragon Slayer proceeded to walk up to Eiji. He held out his hand, grasped Eiji's in his own, and lifted him off the ground into a man hug before separating from him. "Hey, Eiji? I don't know about you, but I've got a fire in my belly that's just raging to get out. Don't you think it's time these Raven Tail bastards told us where to find Kagura?" He flared up his magic while speaking.

Eiji returned the confident smirk Natsu shot at him and separated from him. "Yes sir, Master Natsu. I think it's way past their time. You should have heard the rest of the Magical Alliance fight those bastards. From what I could tell, they could barely fight back because they were scared that one of those Rave Tail bastards would fire a random spell and stop me from saving you. I think it's time that we actually put some power behind our attacks." He smirked while turning around in the direction Natsu was facing and clasping his hand in his own.

"Whuh- What the hell are you guys going to do to us!" Nullpudding stuttered from the entrance of the infirmary while watching the two hold their hands. All of the Dark Mages managed to stagger to their feet in an attempt to retaliate.

"Nothing that you wouldn't have. I'm ready when you are Master Natsu."

The two closed their eyes side to side from each other, while a brilliant aura of white and orange magic began to flare up around them. They then took an offensive stance which caused a giant circle to form beneath their feet that covered the entire room. The aura's around them began to rage and flicker uncontrollably while the two of them inhaled deeply before shooting their eyes open. " _ **H**_ _ **OLY FIRE SLAYER'S SACRED BLAZE**_ _ **!"**_ They roared at the top of their lungs while activating a Unison Raid.

For a moment, the aura's around them completely vanished. Then, both of the mages immediately unclasped their hands and extended their palms outwards while planting their foot forward. The aura generated caused two magic circles to be stacked on top of each other in front of their palms. The top one was Natsu's while the bottom was Eiji's. This caused a massive beam of Holy light to shoot out of Eiji's hand and infuse itself with Natsu's raging flames while they passed through the levitating circles. The resulting beams clashed together in a dance while they were continuously propelled towards their target.

The beam completely corroded the rubble from Jura's spell's into the air which caused the Dark mage's eyes to widen in fear. None of them had time to scream before the massive beam impacted the entire front of the infirmary.

" **SSHEEEeeewwww- DOOOOOOOOMMMM!** " The sound of the beam made. It glistened through the Dark mage's bodies before incinerating the stairwell behind them.

The attack was so flawless that it didn't kick up any smoke or dust. Instead, a bright Holy light filled the entire guild hall from passing through the Dark mages. The raging fire that Natsu infused into the beam erupted once it made contact with their enemy. " **W** **HOSH** **… c** **rickcrick** **…** **Whosh...** whosh..." The sound of Natsu's flames made after they erupted in a fiery plume and scorched the entire surroundings of the Raven Tail mages. The flames crackled and snapped before the fiery eruption slowly died down, while the bright Holy light vanished with it.

" **Thud...** " The sound of the Dark mages knees being brought to the floor made after the attack cleared. The entrance of the infirmary as well as the stairwell were completely charred and scorched. Their skin and attire was torn and burnt in many places from Natsu's flames relentlessly being fueled by his anger and emotional pain.

Whatever parts of their skin that wasn't burnt was now a sickly pale; Nullpudding and Obra were a very light purple and blue. The Holy magic consumed all the darkness and color from their bodies and left them feeling completely hollow with bags under their eyes.

"Wuh- Wow… They're amazing." Sherria admired the strength of the two slayers.

Reedus was the first to move. He picked up Archenemy off the ground and slowly approached the Dark mages who were on their knees. He kneeled to their level and spoke to all of them while reaching in his pocket. "Now that that's out of the way… Why are these files important?" Reedus narrowed his eyes while pulling them from his vest.

Flare stuttered in fear from the power of the Magical Alliance. "Thuh- Those files have the location of where Raven Tail's Guild hall is! Our headquarters are located in Magnolia Town because that's where our Guild Master was born!"

"Pardon my language but that's bullshit!" Reedus exclaimed while gesturing to his Fairy Tail Guild Mark. "I've been apart of Fairy Tail for as long as I can remember, and I can tell you that there's no Raven Tail Guild hall in Magnolia Town!"

"PLEASE. I SWEAR I'M TELLING THE TRUTH. JUST DON'T TAKE US BACK TO OUR GUILD MASTER AND KEEP THOSE MONSTERS AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed towards Natsu and Eiji. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes when she saw the two slayers approach them. Flare could care less about her loyalty to Raven Tail at this point. There was no way any of the Dark mages could put an end to the Magical Alliance and stop them from eventually finding out why the files on the basement were so important. Life in prison would outweigh Alexei's Lacrima testing or having to face Natsu's wrath.

Instead of continuing to attack the Dark mages, Natsu put his hand on Reedus's shoulder and pulled him back towards the rest of the Magical Alliance with Eiji. He then embraced the two in a sincere hug. "You guys saved my life even after I almost got myself killed. Thank you… Everyone!" He finished by looking up to the rest of the Magical Alliance and thanking them. He began to tear up slightly at the effort everyone made to protect him.

Lyon shrugged and smiled. "Don't worry about it Master Natsu. Eiji did all of the work, and it's not like we could have gone anywhere even if Alexei didn't place that Curse on you. We've still gotta wait for that Magic Council representative that Reedus contacted to find out where we are and arrest all these these sickos."

When Natsu heard Alexei's name, he grew confused and started to become serious again. "How do you know that the Guild Master's name is Alexei when I was Cursed, and what files are Flare and Reedus talking about?"

"Hold up… How did you know Flare's name but not Alexei's? Were you able to hear some of us speak even when you were cursed?" Reedus worried in fear that Natsu overheard parts of his conversation with Sherria earlier.

"Kind of. I only know the names of those Raven Tail losers because I regained some of my hearing when Eiji was reciting his Holy verses. I didn't hear anything about whatever files you guys are talking about or anything else before I ended up down here." He finished by gesturing to the infirmary.

Reedus sighed in relief and began to inform Natsu. "Long story short, I found these files in the basement around the time you got cursed. The Dark mages who captured Kagura mentioned something about needing to burn all of them before they escaped with her, but they forgot this one under one of the operating tables and I was able to find it. We then contacted Eiji with your Lacrima to see if he could lift the Curse from you, and we all planned on showing you the files after that. Eiji eventually got here, but the same Raven Tail Bastards who captured Kagura showed up right after him in order to destroy the files. They weren't expecting us to be here, otherwise, they would have brought reinforcements."

"Then how'd Flare, Nullpudding, Obra, and the rest of those Dark mages get here? Didn't you clear out the entire guild hall?"

Reedus winced from recalling the events before speaking. "Kurohebi killed himself in order to restore his apprentice's magic. They had enough to teleport everyone we just fought."

"No way… Kurohebi's a Dark mage and he did that for his own guild members?" Natsu's eyes widened in surprise.

"He did it so he didn't return to Alexei empty handed, and he also knew that he couldn't take on the entire Magical Alliance with just his two apprentices. Alexei would have hunted him down and performed Lacrima experimentation if he found out, so Kurohebi killed himself so that wouldn't be possible. That's how we ended up here. We needed to make sure that we defended Eiji from those Raven Tail bastards who were teleported while he found a way to lift that Curse from you."

"So did those files you found actually say that Raven Tail's Guild hall is in Magnolia Town? I've been apart of Fairy Tail ever since Igneel disappeared nine years ago… I'd think I'd know if I remembered another guild hall in Magnolia Town." Natsu asked skeptically while deadpanning.

Reedus snapped his head towards where the Dark mages were kneeling at the entrance. "You hear that you sick bastards? You'd better start moving your mouths and tell us the truth before we leave you here for Alexei to find."

"PLEASE! I ALREADY SWORE THAT I'M NOT LYING ABOUT OUR GUILD HALL! I DON'T CARE WHAT NULLPUDDIING, OBRA, OR THE REST OF THE GUILD THINKS OF ME. I'LL EVEN GO WITH YOU BY MYSELF IF I HAVE TO! THEN YOU CAN LET THE MAGIC COUNCIL DEAL WITH ME! JUST- Juh… Just don't tell Aleh- he- hexei." Flare's speech lost its composure as the tears in her eyes fell.

Lyon noticed Flare's pleads and stepped in to intervene. "That's enough guys. I think she's being sincere. I mean, she even offered to show us where Raven Tail is by herself as long as Alexei doesn't harm her. Maybe the rest of these sickos feel the same way."

Natsu began to argue with Lyon out of desperation to save Kagura. "They're Dark mages, Lyon. Do you really trust them after everything they've done to you guys? What if they're doing all of this to stall the Magical Alliance while Raven Tail experiments on Kagura? You said it yourself, that guy who killed himself upstairs was able to capture Kagura, and we need to get her back before they hurt her. We all know that Raven Tail can teleport their guildmates around Fiore, so what if these bastards are wasting our time until they get their magic back? The moment we let our guard down like I did fighting Alexei, they teleport back to whatever ditch they crawled from… We'll never see them again." He finished by speaking to everyone else.

Reedus thought about what his Guild Master said and sided with Lyon. "Oui. You have a point Master Natsu. I'm never going to forgive myself for not being able to protect Kagura, but we never expected these goons to return in the first place. If they came back for the files, they're important enough to relate to Magnolia Town. I think we can all agree that that's a good indicator that Magnolia Town would be a good place to start looking for clues that could help us learn more about Raven Tail. So whether or not a guild hall is there, we'd be in the right place to continue. Plus, they kinda have to cooperate with us now. The upside of them helping us find Kagura faster is worth the risks that come with it."

Natsu momentarily surveyed the entire Magical Alliance. Many of them nodded at Lyon and Reedus in agreement. Natsu reluctantly sighed, formulated a small plan in his head, and asked one question out loud. "I have a plan. It's crazy, and it can go real wrong, real fast. Hell, we might not even make it through the entrance of the guild. But it's the only way we'll all be able to get what we want. We take down Alexei without a problem, we get Kagura back, and all of those bastards get protective custody in case Alexei somehow manages to hunt them down one day."

The entire Magical Alliance nodded in agreement. "That sounds excellent Master Natsu." Jura spoke for all the mages.

Natsu smiled at the support he was getting. His smile vanished while he then turned around and spoke to the Dark mages from afar. "If you sickos want to be safe from Alexei, we're going to need your help though. More than just showing us where the guild hall is."

This time, Nullpudding chimed into the conversation. "Now what do you want from us?" He muttered.

This caused Natsu to slowly approach the group of Dark mages, kneel to their eye level, and try to speak to them with as little anger as possible. "You're lucky that my Nakama have hearts and agreed to let you bastards help us. That's why we're going to give you a decision. You can cooperate with us and help the rest of the Magical Alliance take down Raven Tail and get Kagura back. If you help us with that, you won't have to live with Alexei hunting you down. Plus, Jura will tell the Magic Council to only give you a life sentence in prison. I already have a plan that'll work, but we need your help to make sure we follow through with it."

"And what's this 'alternative' you have in mind if we don't cooperate?"

"If you want to waste your time until you can escape by teleporting, you can do that. You might be able to outrun Alexei when his closest mages abandoned him, or you might not. That's the risk you're going to have to live with until the day you die. If you just don't feel like cooperating with us from the start, we'll just hand you over to the Magic Council when they get here. Since Jura's a Wizard Saint and apart of the Magic Council, he'd be able to convince them not to execute you guys for killing Wataru and performing illegal experimentation… That's if you help us out. Right now, you have three decisions; risk running away, death, or try helping us out and getting life in prison."

"Tell us the plan you have and we'll decide on what we chose." Nullpudding didn't hesitate to counter.

"No. You decide now and I'll tell you the plan afterwards. All I need is a yes or no from Flare and you. I already have plans for Obra and the rest of your apprentices."

Nullpudding and Flare both knew that there was only one way that they were getting out of this alive. The two Dark mages faced each other, reluctantly nodded, and refaced Natsu. " **Wuh- We'll do it.** " They sighed in unison while shaking Natsu's hand in agreement.

"Now… What are you going to do with Obra?" Flare slightly feared for her comrade.

"I don't think any member of the Magical Alliance trusts him enough to take him with us." Natsu then directed his attention to Obra's puppet which was silently staring into the distance. "I'm going to get the Magic Council to give you and the rest of your apprentices protective custody for complying with us, so you're getting off lucky." He then turned around to face Nullpudding and Flare. "The two of you will be given the same when you're done helping us."

"You're not really giving me much room to argue with you Salamander, but why can't our apprentices come?"

Natsu looked around at the Dark mages to recount. "I spotted nine apprentices that came with you guys. If you're including Obra with them, that makes ten others in all. You need to tell me if you have any other mages that you're not telling me about. Answer honestly because your lives are going to depend on it in a bit."

"Yes! We swear! We have nine apprentices, and Obra makes ten." Flare panicked while speaking for the group.

Nullpudding groaned at Natsu's persistence. "How about you cut to the chase Salamander? Why the hell is this important?"

Natsu turned around momentarily and gestured for Reedus to approach them. "Reedus? Can you come here for a moment and bring me those files?"

"Oui!" The Pict mage nodded while bringing the guild's files with him.

Reedus approached the group and kneeled to Natsu's level while handing him the files. Natsu then handed the files to Nullpudding which caused him to reluctantly accept them in confusion. "Reedus? Do you think you'd be able to transform me into Obra's puppet by any chance?" Natsu spoke.

"Oui!" The Pict mage declared again while sketching Natsu and a picture of Obra's blue puppet onto his stomach. Once his drawing was finished, a blue cloud of dust appeared around Natsu. When it dissapeared, an exact replica of Obra's blue puppet stood in the Dragon Slayer's place.

Flare and Nullpudding widened their eyes in realization with the rest of the Magical Alliance. They knew what Natsu was implying when they saw him transform into Obra.

Natsu then began to speak louder so everyone could hear his conversation with the Dark mages. "I think it's obvious what you're gonna do Nullpudding. The plan is simple. You take these files and get us into the guild hall. Everyone else will look exactly like your apprentices thanks to Reedus's magic, so nobody should notice a thing. All you have to do is act like you were able to stop the Magical Alliance. If everything goes smoothly, not even Alexei will know what's happening right beneath his nose until it's too late."

Flare began to shudder when she found out that Natsu was going to make her return to Raven Tail. "Thuh- That won't work! I mean, you don't even have enough mages for all our apprentices!" She falsely argued out of desperation.

"Count again," Natsu paused to look towards Nullpudding, "Nullpudding will act like he's taking his three apprentices to deliver those files to Alexei. They'll be Jura, Eiji, and Reedus. Jura will get the rematch he's looking for, Eiji will give you guys a huge advantage because he's a Demon Slayer, and Reedus just wants to rip Alexei's head off for telling Kurohebi to capture Kagura." Natsu then turned his attention back to Flare. "Your apprentices are gonna be Sherria, Lyon, and Ichiya. I want you guys to take out as many Dark mages as you can when Nullpudding surprise attacks Alexei." Natsu lastly pointed to himself. "I'll be disguised as Obra. I'll take the rest of the Trimens and go after Kagura. Hibiki's Archive should help us navigate your headquarters to find the cells where she's being kept, so I shouldn't need to rely on you two."

This time, Nullpudding decided to interrupt once he knew Natsu's plan. "What if Flare and I manage to escape and return to Raven Tail now that you told us your plan? Alexei will be so relieved that we told him about it, that he won't even consider us for Lacrima experimentation."

"If you're so bent over trying to escape, we'll just use Magical Restraints on you guys until you show us where your guild hall is. At that point, if you try to escape, Alexei's going to know we found his files when he sees us storm Raven Tail. You either cooperate with us, or you run and Alexei hunts you down for betraying him. I'm trying to give you guys a chance to cooperate."

Nullpudding knew that Natsu was right. Just before he could give in, Reedus counted over each mage to ensure that Natsu counted correctly and his plan would work. The Pict Mage's eyes widened in disbelief which caused him to hug Natsu next to him. "Master Natsu you're a genius! All of us will have someone to guide us around Raven Tail's headquarters, and you can just use Hibiki's Archive so you don't need to rely on Flare and Nullpudding." Reedus praised his Guild Master.

The hopeful atmosphere caused everyone to cheer. " **HOORRAHHH!** " The entire Magical Alliance roared at the plan that Natsu thought of. Many of the members began to hug each other in hopes of finally being able to take down Raven Tail and save Kagura.

Jura was the only one who didn't cheer or embrace anyone. The Earth mage smiled to himself and said something in his mind that he noticed about Master Natsu ever since they began their journey together. " _This isn't the same man I met_ _when we took down Nirvana_ _. Even though he's still reckless from time to time considering he nearly got himself killed in his fight with Alexei, I see so much potential_ _in him now_ _. He listens to his friends instead of acting on his own to complete a task,_ _he's learning to control his magical potential, and one day, I hope to see him overcome the tragedy of the_ _T_ _enrou group_ _and see where he'll lead Fairy Tail."_

Aside from Jura, the Raven Tail mages were also the only ones not cheering. "Puh- Please. Don't take us back to Alexei." Flare interrupted the celebration by begging.

Natsu turned to Flare and spoke. "We already made a deal, and Nullpudding seems to be giving into the opportunity we're giving him. Help us put and end to Alexei and Raven Tail, and if Kagura is still fine, I'll turn you into the Magic Council just like I promised."

Flare was still skeptical of the plan, so Nullpudding attempted to convince her. After a few moments, even she began to give into the plan a little bit.

Just before she could lighten up with the rest of the Magical Alliance, a familiar voice called out from the top of the stairwell outside the infirmary. "I have to admit, that plan of yours sounds quite promising, but you didn't have to get Jura to convince me to let Raven Tail help you out. It's the least I could do to repay Fairy Tail for everything I put you guys through." The voice called out to Natsu.

Natsu's eyes widened when he heard the familiar voice call out to him. He slowly lifted his head to identify the person above him. A small smile plastered upon Natsu's face when his eyes confirmed the voice he heard. Natsu spoke one word out loud."Mest."

Mest smiled back down towards Natsu and nodded. "It's been a while… Fairy Tail."

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	19. Chapter 19 - Raven Tail

**Author's Note:** I know it's been over a month and a half since I last updated, and truthfully, I thought I was going to have more free time throughout my college semester similar to how I did last year. From Organic Chemistry to Calculus based Physics and work, I just haven't had as much time to update as I was hoping to. That being said, I tried putting as much thought into this chapter as possible to try and make it as best as I could considering you've all been so patient; this isn't some "filler" update. Because without you guys, this Fanfiction probably would have stopped much earlier than this consider I really don't think my writing is all that impressive. From every review, favorite, and follower notification I get on my phone, that always serves as an indicator that my writing isn't nearly as bad as I make it out to be.

I already have a couple hundred words down for Chapter 20, and I plan for that to be the final chapter of this arc. There's a coupe minor details scattered around this chapter that are going to relate to the next arc that I already have planned, and these details are going to be brought up in Chapter 20. All I can say is pay close attention to anything that might seem unimportant!

With that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this update!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 19: Raven Tail**

Pain. If Kagura had to summarize what she was experiencing in one word, it was pain. Whether it was physical, mental, or emotional, pain was all she could feel throughout her body. Only a day had passed since she learned that a Lacrima was implanted inside her, and she didn't know how much more she could handle.

The hours of endless crying left tear stains plastered on her cheeks. Her tears ended up cascading down her fragile face and onto her wrinkled blazer and black leggings. Her entire right arm was still searing in pain from the gashes she sustained in her fight with Kurohebi which was why her white glove was ripped apart. If she struggled to escape her magical restraints, the wound on her right arm would reopen and cause her body to rack in pain. Since her hair was still frizzy from the sweat on her body that dried up, this caused her white headband to become crooked.

Even though the physical pain coursing through Kagura's body was unbearable, she could at least tolerate it to an extent from all the training with Fairy Tail. None of the physical pain compared to the worst emotion of all: fear that no one was going to find her in time.

Kagura lifted her head upwards towards her cell's ceiling to gaze at the magical restraints around her suspended arms. She began to grit her teeth while emotions of fear, hopelessness, frustration, and even hatred began to plague her mind one by one. " _Does Master Natsu even care about finding me? If he did, why did he let Kurohebi capture me in the first place?"_ Kagura's hazel eyes widened while tears of regret instantly fell down her face. "How… How could I even say something so heartless about Muh- Master Natsu? What if he's blaming himself about all of this right now?" She croaked out loud once she realized what she thought. This caused her to stop gritting her teeth in frustration while she lowered her head back down to weep in regret.

Kagura was so distraught with what she thought of that she didn't notice the silhouette of a man approach the outside of her cell. " **Clang… Clang… Clang…** " The man's metallic footsteps resounded while he entered the cell which caught the Sword mage's attention.

Even though Kagura's eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness of her barely lit cell, she didn't need her vision to know who the man was. She immediately recognized the man from the sound of his footsteps. This caused her to narrow her eyes, dart her head upwards, and glare into the pitch black eye openings of his mask. The man was wearing his signature golden metallic armor which gave him the appearance of a medieval knight. Despite his facial features being hidden by the golden mask, Kagura knew his identity all too well. "Alexei…" She managed to snarl his name.

Kagura's voice was filled with so much hatred that she didn't even notice that no other Dark mages were accompanying Alexei. Not only that, but her nose was also able to pick up the scent of a sizeable platter of food in his hands. The unbearable scent of the food caused an aching emptiness to wretch at her stomach. She just realized that the last thing she ate was Natsu's at their campsite, so she was practically starving.

Alexei shook his head at the tone of Kagura's voice. "That's no way to greet someone who put in the effort to prepare you something straight from Raven Tail's bar."

"Like hell I'm eating whatever you made. How do I know that's not going to kill me?" She refused to accept his help out of arrogance.

Alexei sighed at Kagura's hopeless antics. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have already done so. You're obviously hungry to the point where you can't think properly, so I'd suggest stop trying to deny it and eat up." He then kneeled to the ground, sat Indian Style, and slid the plate of food the few remaining feet between him and Kagura.

"And how do you expect me to eat?" She scowled while shaking her uninjured arm back and forth against the magical restraint.

Alexei shook his head at Kagura's impatience. Instead of lashing out at her, he managed to control himself while lifting his arm. He snapped his fingers together which immediately released the restraints around Kagura.

Kagura fell to the floor and reflexively winced in pain at finally being able to clutch her injured arm again. She stood up and took the opportunity to reach towards her neck and rip her red tie from under her dress shirt's collar. She then removed her elaborate blazer which revealed her bare undershirt that was now see through because of all the sweat that it accumulated. Beneath her undershirt was her flawless upper body visibly glistening from sweat.

Kagura didn't bother hiding her chest from Alexei. Her see through dress shirt was going to have to be the only garment covering her upper body. She took her blazer with her free hand, wrapped it around her injured arm to form a makeshift tourniquet, and used her red tie to secure it in place. She tugged at it with her teeth to insure none of it was going to move. Once she knew that her injured arm was fully protected, she began to breathe deeply in order to calm herself down. She took a moment to glance at the floor where Alexei was patiently waiting for her to begin eating her food.

Before she sat back down, she reluctantly lifted her head upwards which caused her chest's frantic rising to slow down and her eyes to widen. She could see the exit of her cell.

Kagura tried to show as little emotion as possible. _"It's… It's right there… I can get out of here. He's sitting down, so if I'm fast enough, I might be able to-"_

She never got the chance to finish. Alexei didn't even need to turn his head towards the cell's entrance to know why Kagura was hesitating to sit back down and eat. "I know what you're thinking. Just know that I wouldn't do that if I were you. You don't have Archenemy, you haven't even come close to witnessing my full magical potential, and you don't know how many or how strong my guild mates are. That's if you even manage making it to the main guild hall."

Even though Kagura couldn't see Alexei's facial expressions, she shivered because she could sense a sinister smirk creep across his face. No matter how much she hated to admit it, she knew that Alexei was right. _"Damn bastard."_ She gritted helplessly while slowly taking a seat on the ground. Kagura shifted her gaze between the man in front of her and the plate of food one last time to ensure he was being truthful about the food being safe to eat. Alexei remained still. Without hesitation, Kagura yanked the entire tray towards her and began to examine its contents. Her eyes scanned over two full sized chicken legs, lightly seasoned baked potatoes, an assortment of vegetables on the side, fresh bread, and a full glass of water.

Kagura forced her body to restrain itself. The last thing she needed was to overeat and be forced to push her body again. She lunged for the glass of water and downed half of it without a second thought. She sighed in relief from her endless thirst finally being quenched before slowly picking up a chicken leg and nibbling at it. Kagura occasionally wiped her mouth clean, opted to not eat the second chicken leg, and decided to leave everything else uneaten but the vegetables. She was so cautious about how much she ate that she didn't even notice Alexei begin to move his hands towards his face.

Just as she finished swallowing the food in her mouth, Kagura heard a loud clatter from in front of her. " **Clang… Clink… Clink…** " The sound of metal striking the floor resounded throughout her cell. Kagura diverted her attention towards Alexei which caused her eyes to widen in surprise.

Before she was given the chance to open her mouth and speak, Alexei cut her off. "That seemed to catch your attention. I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to wear my mask while someone else is eating. Didn't Salamander teach you anything about manners?" He confidently smirked while picking up his triangular mask off the floor.

Kagura tried to remain unfazed at Alexei's identity. She scoffed and sarcastically replied to him. "Are you sure you're just not trying to get a better look at my body while you can see through my shirt?" Before Alexei could laugh her off, Kagura remembered who Alexei's true identity was when she was reminded about why she was captured in the first place. "That's right… Now that I see what you look like, you told me yesterday that your sorry ass is Master Makarov's son… You're Ivan Dreyar." She stoically spoke the man's name with a disgusted scowl. Kagura then leaned in to take a closer look at Ivan's face. The Sword mage noticed that he had black hair and tanned skin. His facial hair consisted of a large chin curtain beard leading up into a pompadour haircut. She finished scanning Ivan's face before snarling at him. "Not that it matters, but you don't look related to Master Makarov at all."

Ivan lowly chuckled at Kagura's realization. "You of all mages should know that he doesn't go by Master Makarov anymore. From what I heard, that old coot kicked the bucket as Fairy Tail's Guild Master two years ago."

Kagura covered her mouth with her hands. "How can you even say something so cruel about your own father?" She barely managed to whisper. What Ivan spat reminded Kagura of her own brother.

He ignored this and continued speaking. "As for you comparing my looks to that pervert, the ironic part is that it's a common misconception that I received plastic surgery after leaving Fairy Tail. Truthfully, this is how I naturally look. All of Raven Tail's Guild documents claim that I reconstructed my face to conceal my identity, but that's not the case. You could say it benefits me in more ways than one. I get to hide behind two identities and throw off any of my pursuers."

Kagura was barely paying attention to what Ivan was saying about his identity. She was still too focused on him dishonoring his father. She lowered her head which caused a shadow to drape over it. "Why…? Why are you doing all of this? Why the Lacrima implantations? Why do you resent Master Makarov so much that you can't stand to acknowledge his title? What is it that you want so badly that you'd kill me just to get your hands on it?" She slowly began to regain part of her professional voice.

Ivan stood up and towered over Kagura. "Fairy Tail had no future for me. If that old coot truly valued me as his son, he would have listened when I told him that everything I was doing was to strengthen Fairy Tail as a guild!" He roared at her towards the floor.

"You're wrong… You're so wrong." Kagura condescendingly chuckled at what Ivan thought of his father.

"And how would you know what that Hag thought of me? You weren't even there when I was a part of Fairy Tail." He countered.

Kagura shook her head and responded. "Your father loved you. Master Natsu even kept all of the paintings that Reedus made when you were still a member of Fairy Tail. Your father wasn't trying to prove you wrong by keeping them. Master Natsu just knew that Master Makarov would do the same if you ever decided to return to Magnolia Town. Those pictures reminded him of the possibility of you returning one day. Fairy Tail continued just fine without needing whatever power you're talking about! You decided to cross the line and risk Laxus's life if it meant you tried proving your point!"

"You're right about one thing. I was ready to risk my own son's life if it meant I strengthened Fairy Tail, but you're wrong about crossing the line for power… Fairy Tail's structure was not at its full potential with the guild members we had. Tell me, what happened to the guild after the old coot kicked the bucket?"

A short silence fell upon the duo because Kagura didn't respond. She knew that Fairy Tail was nearly disbanded because they couldn't afford to keep their guild's title. The silence encouraged Ivan to continue. "You finally see what I was trying to do. Your guild nearly fell apart if it weren't for Salamander realizing you needed stronger guild mates to support each other! Back when I was a part of Fairy Tail, I wasn't about to let that happen just for us to become the laughingstock of the world. I envisioned power, a life of luxury, and a comfortable lifestyle without any instability whatsoever! That old coot never listened to me when I told him that we needed stronger and more mature guild mates in order to support Fairy Tail's future." He spat in disgust.

"Then you were obviously in the wrong guild you psychotic bastard. Fairy Tail doesn't value power, we value our Nakama!" Kagura retorted from the ground.

"That's where you're right again. As far as I was concerned, I was done with Fairy Tail at that point. I was going to use the magical potential of that Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima to force my so called 'father' to hand over the secret to Fairy Tail's power. He was too afraid to use it, but I wasn't. At that point, he could do whatever the hell he wanted with Fairy Tail as long as I secured a lifestyle where I could live in prosperity. Now that my father is gone because of what I tried to warn him about, I'm willing to take advantage of his absence by harvesting the power of Lacrimas, end Fairy Tail for good, and find the secret weapon that every Fairy Tail Guild Master has passed down to the next. Do you know why Laxus was excommunicated from Fairy Tail all those years after I was? He tried following in my footsteps to prove Master Makarov wrong and strengthen the members of our guild!"

"What the hell did he plan on accomplishing by doing that?" Kagura trembled out loud in fear of where the conversation was going.

"Laxus ultimately wanted to become Fairy Tail's Guild Master to bring me back to the guild. He hoped that we could unlock Fairy Tail's ultimate weapon together, use it to ensure no one doubted Fairy Tail's strength, and live long lives filled with comfort! This ultimate weapon is known by each Guild Master as Lumen Histoire, and it's Fairy Tail's most protected secret. This is the meaning of being in a guild," Ivan momentarily paused to gesture to the massive guild hall they were in," You have to be the strongest to continue living, and I was prepared to do that by unlocking the power of Lumen Histoire. If that meant I killed Laxus in the process for that Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima, then that's the cost that would have had to be paid if it meant forcing Master Makarov to reveal the secret of Lumen Histoire. If that meant I practically blindsided Laxus with whatever feelings he had for me to the point where he was ready to kill Salamander in order for the title of Guild Master to be forfeited to him, then that's the cost that would have had to be paid if that meant Laxus could accept me as a guild member. I'm ready to kill any man, woman, child, or Fairy Fly that attempts to stop me at this point if it finally forces the world to realize that power is the meaning of being a part of a guild. RAVEN TAIL EXISTS TO OVERPOWER ANYONE WHO STANDS IN OUR WAY IN ORDER TO THRIVE-" Ivan never got the chance to finish.

Kagura couldn't bear to listen to the rest of Ivan's psychotic opinion. Even though she had no idea what Lumen Histoire was, she had to warn Natsu about Ivan's plans to use it. Before Ivan could even react, Kagura grabbed her entire tray of food, stood up to Ivan's level, and hurled everything in her hand towards the armored man's exposed face.

Ivan flushed in rage and disgust while reflexively covering his face with both his hands. " **AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGgggggghhhhhhh!"** He managed to lower his dominant hand and lunge towards where he thought where Kagura was standing.

" **Clang… Clangkity-clang.** " The sound of the silverware made as it struck the ground in front of the duo.

No matter how experienced Kagura was as a Sword mage, she had no way of expecting Ivan to lunge at her immediately after he was doused in water and food morsels. Kagura bolted at a breakneck speed towards her cell's exit before Ivan could fully regain his composure. She was agile enough to duck beneath the swing Ivan took at her, but she underestimated the maneuverability he had even without his vision. Just as she thought she cleared his swing, Ivan was able to listen to her footsteps and follow up with a back hand as a last resort.

The backside of his metallic gauntlet struck Kagura's right cheek without remorse. " **Shhllllaapp!** " The sound of the gauntlet made as it ripped through Kagura's flawless facial skin.

Kagura's Hazel eyes teared up in pain which caused her to stumble over the breakneck speed she was moving at. Her body impacted the floor of her cell on all fours. Luckily, she was able to use her uninjured arm to break her fall.

The purple haired mage reluctantly ran her fingers over the middle of her cheek and up towards the corner of her eye. All her fingers felt was a large gash extending across the area she rubbed. Out of anger, pain, and rage, she turned over to face Ivan who was slowly approaching her. Even though Ivan's face was red in embarrassment from the water and food that dripped from his armor, Kagura unleashed her thoughts towards him. "THOSE RISKS OF YOUR GUILD MATES FALLING WILL ALWAYS BE THERE. ME AND MY BROTHER WERE NEVER RICH WHILE GROWING UP, BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP US FROM ENJOYING OUR LIVES TOGETHER."

She momentarily paused to calm herself down. "Do you know why Fairy Tail appointed Natsu as our Guild Master? Everyone knew that there would always be a risk where Fairy Tail would be disbanded because of his recklessness, but they still believed that Natsu wouldn't let that happen considering he would never hurt his guild members by doing something like that! Master Natsu wouldn't be reckless to the point where we would be forced to disband just because we couldn't pay back debt without our S-Class mages earning money for Fairy Tail. Even after everything that's happened, we're all still here today! My first lifelong goal was to gain enough power to kill Jellal Fernandes with my own hands since he killed my brother, but Natsu showed me how to move on past my hatred and value something else. I value Master Natsu for showing me how to move on from my brother's death in order to find my new purpose in life! He made me realize that there could be a better future ahead of me if I embrace a different path with Fairy Tail. The fact is, you don't want power. YOU'RE JUST A COWARD WHO'S TOO SCARED OF RISKING ANYTHING. THAT'S WHY YOU WANT WHATEVER ULTIMATE WEAPON YOU THINK FAIRY TAIL HAS."

Ivan ignored these desperate insults. He was done trying to reason with the purple haired mage. Ivan used the same gauntlet he struck Kagura with to grab her throat and lift her off the ground. His grip was so tight that it left her unable to croak in pain. He dragged the helpless Sword mage back to where her magical restraints were and cuffed each of them back onto her lifeless arms.

Ivan released his grip from Kagura's throat which caused her to begin gasping in pain from the searing gash across her cheek. As she dangled above the floor again, her eyes widened in horror at the pure rage Ivan plastered across his face as he approached her body.

Instead of continuing to physically assault her, Ivan pressed himself against Kagura's dress shirt which was beginning to turn transparent from her sweat again. Once his face was inches away from Kagura's, he maniacally spoke in a startingly calm tone. "Tell me… How much does your Master Natsu mean to you? From what I can remember, you didn't react too kindly yesterday when I said you wouldn't have a relationship with him anymore. After all, you just told me that he's the reason you're slowly beginning to move past your brother's death."

Kagura's eyes flared up when Ivan brought up Natsu's name. The next threat she spat was purely out of reflex, but she never thought she'd live the day where she would say it. "I swear on my brother's grave… If you laid a finger on Master Natsu, I think I'd find my new purpose in life." She threatened in fear that Ivan would hurt Natsu because of her actions. Her mouth and eyes slowly began to widen once she realized what she said.

Ivan smirked at the severity of Kagura's threat. "I should have guessed Salamander meant that much to you. After all, you didn't react too kindly when I told you that you didn't have to worry about your friendship anymore after what I did to him. But at the same time, it didn't sound like you cared about him from what I overheard a few minutes ago. The way you apologized when I was about to enter your cell, it sounded as if you were blaming Salamander for how you ended up here. If he truly cared about Fairy Tail's wellbeing, he wouldn't have let Kurohebi capture you."

"I- I wasn't thinking properly. Master Natsu cares about all his guildmates ever since the Tenrou Group disappeared. He's done so much over the past two years to strengthen our family that there's no way he would ever blame himself for how I ended up here!"

"If that's the case, I think it's time you reunite with your brother and Salamander so you can see what would have happened on that fateful day two years ago. You just showed me how much you value the both of them, but what if I told you there was a way to save your brother from death if you had to make a sacrifice? Would you do it if I knew of a way to give you that opportunity even after swearing on his grave?"

Kagura confidently spoke without even considering what Natsu had to do with their conversation. "I'd save Simon without a doubt!"

With that, Ivan slowly parted himself from Kagura and held his hand in front of her face. "If that's your decision, I think it's time you relived the day that continues to haunt you. Just remember, what will you do if you were given the chance to change the past? I'll let you decide if there was anything that could be done to save them, and if you truly believe in everything you've said to me." Ivan manically chuckled before snapping his fingers together to activate his spell. " **Darkness Dimension:** _ **Past Restored**_."

* * *

Scene Change – Two Years Ago

"I got you now…!" A confident man roared throughout the nighttime sky while he jumped into the air.

Another man across from him took an offensive stance, extended his index and middle finger, and swiped his hand in front of him. An enormous surge of yellow energy took the appearance of a star which was sent towards the confident man.

The surge of yellow energy impacted the man in the air. The attack forced him to fall to the ground in an attempt to overpower the attack with his body. " **AAarrrggg… UUrrgggghh…** " The man gritted while the attack pushed him further and further towards the ledge he was fighting on.

" _Umph… Where am I?_ " Kagura thought to herself while rolling against the ground. She tried to open her eyes and sit up, but for some reason, her body refused to do so. Seconds passed before her eyes fully opened. She slowly sat up and noticed that she was resting on top of a light blue plateau with multiple jagged pillars forming arches and random structures.

Suddenly, the man struck by the attack flew past her towards the abyss below the ledge of the plateau. Kagura had no idea where she was, yet her body somehow took control of itself and revealed the identity of the man for her. "NATSU!" Her mouth spoke out loud to her surprise. " _Why do I sound so different…? And how did I know that's Natsu?!"_ She yelled to herself in confusion.

Natsu overheard his name being called out which caused him to burst free of the attack. " **AAAARRRRRGHHHHH!** " He roared while the yellow energy dissipated around him.

"What?!" The man who sent the attack widened his eyes in bewilderment at Natsu overpowering his attack.

Natsu used this as an opportunity to counterattack. He confidently grinned while charging towards his opponent. "Haha! You so worried about wrecking your precious tower that you're not going to fight me full on? 'Cause I get the feeling you're holding back, and that ain't gonna work against me!"

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you!" The other man retorted while taking another offensive stance. He used his free hand to help extend his other hand's palm outwards. A sharp beam of yellow energy fired out of his extended hand, impacted Natsu, and threw him backwards against the ground.

Kagura was in utter shock at the power of the spells that hit Natsu. She tried to stand up to see if he was injured, but she still had absolutely no control over her body. " _Damnit! Why can't I still move?"_ She thought in frustration. After a few moments passed, her body finally allowed her to turn her head towards the man that Natsu was fighting against. The man had blue hair and was wearing a combat suit made of a skin-tight sleeveless purple shirt that was paired with blue cargo pants and boots. His most prominent facial feature was the red tattoo surrounding his right eye.

Even though she never met him in person, the man's blue hair coupled with his red tattoo were enough for Kagura to recognize who he was. The man caused feelings of hatred, pain, and vengeance to course throughout her body. She spat one word insider her mind. " _JELLAL!_ " She helplessly roared to herself in complete rage. Every moment that continued to pass gave her more time to realize the situation she was placed in. Seeing Jellal for the first time reminded her of something that Natsu yelled towards him throughout their fight. _"'You so worried about wrecking your precious tower that you're not going to fight me full on…?' Wait… Now it makes sense. This is the Tower of Heaven. Is this what Ivan meant by being able to change the past? If that's the case, I don't know how I can do that if I can't even move! How am I supposed to save Natsu and Simon?!"_ Kagura pleaded to herself in helpless agony.

Since Kagura couldn't move her body to check if Natsu was injured or to see if she could spot Simon, she tried with all her might to lunge at Jellal in an attempt to end his life. No matter how much she tried to move, she still was still unable move her body. " _Damnit! It's been two years since he murdered my brother, and now that he's only a few feet away from me, I can't seek vengeance to save Natsu and Simon!"_ Kagura roared to herself in frustration and helplessness.

Before she could continue venting to herself, Natsu was able to recover from Jellal's onslaught by doing a roundoff against the ground. He straddled his legs in the air, formed two individual orbs of fire in his hands, and launched them towards the ground. " _ **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"**_ He roared out loud. The two orbs of fire combined as they hit the ground which caused a massive column of fire to destroy the part of the tower he was hovering over.

Once again, Kagura uncontrollably spoke out loud to her surprise. "He's aiming for the tower…" Her eyes widened in realization after she heard her voice speak out loud again. Just like the first time, the voice that spoke sounded nothing like her. Even though Kagura couldn't move her head, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that she wasn't even wearing her typical attire. The only thing covering her chest was a series of tightly woven white bandages. Her lower body was covered by a set of red pants with yellow flames imprinted towards her ankles. A few seconds passed by while the smoke from Natsu's spell died down. This gave Kagura time to finish realizing why she couldn't move. " _I think I get now! If that's Natsu over there, and he's fighting Jellal, then that means I'm Erza before Simon sacrificed his life for me! That explains why I can't move. If this is the case, then there's still time to figure out how to save Simon!"_

Before Kagura could continue thinking, she noticed that the smoke caused by Natsu's attack cleared while he planted himself back on the ground.

Even though nothing remained of the part of the tower which Natsu attacked, he used up so much magical potential in his last spell that he could barely stand to face his opponent. Natsu's destructive attacks caused Jellal to clench his fists in anger and embarrassment. "Now I'm angry! I didn't spend years building this tower just to have some punk tear it down! I won't let you!" Jellal roared across the plateau.

Natsu managed to straighten his slouched back and speak through his labored pants. "Haha. Tough break pal, but you can't say I didn't warn you. Destroying stuff is one of my specialties."

Kagura was once again allowed to turn Erza's head towards where Natsu was panting. She noticed that Natsu was struggling to support his own weight which caused her to worriedly think to herself. " _Whatever you do, please be careful Natsu… You're almost out of magical potential. I don't know what's about to happen, but I'm going to find a way to save you and Simon. If the only way to do that is by killing Jellal, then I'll do that for the both of you-"_

Kagura never got the chance to finish thinking. Jellal completely lost his composure. His eye's bulged open and he roared at the top of his lungs. "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" Jellal echoed throughout the nighttime sky. He took an offensive stance and crossed his hands over his head. This caused a yellow magic circle with a large star in the middle to briefly appear. An enormous gale of wind expanded outwards from Jellal's body while a black hole began to form above him. The larger the black orb became, the more it began to suck in the surrounding shadows and light.

Erza's hands grabbed the tower's floor for Kagura while Natsu shielded his face from the black hole that was pulling them forwards. Kagura could only watch in disbelief as Erza's voice called out above the spell. "Why is my shadow bending towards the light? That spell… IT'LL KILL NATSU!" Erza's voice desperately referred to the black hole that Jellal was forming.

Jellal completely ignored Erza's pleads and continued to prepare his attack. "And now… I'LL PLUNGE YOU INTO INFINITE DARKNESS, DRAGON SLAYER." He paused to finish forming his black hole.

Kagura tried one last time to lunge towards Jellal in an attempt to kill him. Before Jellal could launch his spell, Kagura could feel Erza's body regain enough energy to lurch from where she was sitting and jump in front of Natsu. "DON'T DO IT," Erza's voice confidently rang above the black hole while she planted her body in between Natsu and Jellal, "UNLESS YOU WANT TO KILL ME TO."

The black hole in Jellal's hands stopped pulling in its surroundings now that he noticed Erza in the pathway of his attack. Erza's voice quieted slightly now that she didn't need to yell over the black hole. "You don't want to lose your sacrifice to Zeref, do you?"

Jellal responded to Erza with only slight hesitation due to the surprising turn of events. "That would be a problem. The activation of the Tower of Heaven requires the magic potential of a mage comparable to that of a Wizard Saint. However… I can always find another replacement. I'll worry about that AFTER I KILL BOTH OF YOU!" He roared above his black hole which began to finish forming in his hands again.

Natsu knew that there was no way to reason with Jellal. All he could do was call out to the scarlet haired mage in front of him. "Watch out Erza! What are you still doing here?!"

Erza's voice spoke one final line to Natsu before their lives changed forever. "It's my fault you're involved in this mess. The least I can do is protect you!" She smiled to herself with confidence.

Jellal maniacally smiled at the scene unfolding. He poured as much hatred as possible into the spell he was activating. " **Heavenly Body Magic:** _ **ALTAIRIS**_!" He finished by swiping his crossed hands downwards. The enormous black hole that he generated began to tear the ground apart as it traveled towards where Natsu and Erza's body were standing.

Just as the black hole was about to strike the duo, Kagura noticed the silhouette of a man jump in front of her to protect them from the attack. Even though she only had a chance to catch a glimpse at the man's face, she knew it was the face of the same man she hadn't seen since they were both children. _"Simon…"_ She could only say to herself in her mind. For a second, her heart fluttered at seeing her brother for the first time in years despite him not being able to see her. That same heartfelt feeling immediately turned into an endless pit in her stomach when she realized what would happen next.

Before she could try one last time to save Natsu and Simon, Kagura felt a pair of hands grab the side of Erza's body. Without warning, she was turned away from Jellal's attack and pushed away from where Simon was standing in front of her. Erza tumbled backwards through the air which caused her eyes to widen while she realized who pushed her.

Natsu was hovering in the place where he pushed Erza's body away. He reached out to grab Simon by his massive upper body in order to also throw him towards where Erza was, but the moment he began to push Simon towards her, he realized it was too late for them. The last thing he did was turn his head to face Erza's body to flash her one last toothy grin while a small tear cascaded down his face.

" **Kuh- BOOOOOOOOM!** " The sound of the black hole made as it impacted Natsu's body while partially engulfing Simon in the blast. A massive amount of smoke was caused by the explosion.

Kagura was able to yell one word out loud at the top of her lungs with Erza's voice. "NATSU!" She exclaimed while Erza's body bolted upright and sprinted towards where the cloud of smoke was. After a few seconds, the smoke caused by the blast slowly began to dissipate which revealed Natsu on his knees looking towards the nighttime sky. His pink hair shadowed his facial expressions the entire time. Without saying a word, Natsu's body fell forwards onto his face while he laid there completely motionless.

Kagura noticed that the gravity of the black hole pulled Simon's body towards the other side of where Natsu was laying. Erza's body slid in between the two of them which caused her eyes to well up with tears at what she noticed. Miraculously, both Natsu and Simon were still breathing even though their bodies were beginning to writhe in pain. All Kagura could do was watch the scene unfold from inside Erza's body.

Jellal watched as Natsu and Simon convulsed from the pain they were experience. A demented expression shadowed his while he began roaring in laughter. "Hehe… Huhuhhuh… **HUAHUAHUAHUA!** What an idiotic thing to do! I can't say I'm necessarily surprised since this is Salamander who decided to play the valiant hero, but I at least would have expected Simon to use some common sense! Both of them gave their own lives to save yours, but they should have known that won't change a thing. I'M NOT LETTING ANY OF YOU LEAVE THIS TOWER ALIVE-"

Jellal never got the chance to finish. Erza's head darted upwards to face him while tears began to fall down her face. She began to plead to Jellal out of desperation. "JELLAL! CAN YOU NOT SEE HOW MUCH PAIN THEY'RE IN? They're still alive and I'm the sacrifice you need! I'd be foolish to call you a weak mage, and I know that you know a spell that'll be able to save them. Please! Save them and sacrifice me to the Tower of Heaven. That's what you wanted to begin with!"

Jellal plastered a blank expression on his face before facepalming in disbelief. He fell to his knees while beginning to hysterically laugh again. "Who do you think I am…? That dried up old hag you call Porlyusica?!" He couldn't believe the ridiculous request that Erza made.

Erza lowered her voice and spoke to Jellal as sincerely as possible. "Please Jellal. I know that you have control over the Flame of Rebuke. That spell is strong enough to completely heal them as long as they're still alive."

Jellal took a moment before rising to his feet in order to seriously think of the offer that Erza presented with him. He opened up his right palm, snapped his fingers together, and revealed a brilliant golden flame in his hands. "Now that you mention it, the Flames of Rebuke are an exceptionally powerful form of magic dating back to hundreds of years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if they also had healing capabilities. That being said, you're the only sacrifice I need to resurrect Zeref," Jellal paused to approach where Erza's body was kneeling, "With these two out of the way, that would make my job… EASIER!" Jellal roared while closing crushing the golden flames in the palm of his hand. He then shoveled Natsu's body in his hands and hurled him towards the broken ledge of the tower without remorse.

Kagura reflexively lunged towards where Natsu was thrown to prevent him from rolling off the edge. "NATSU!" She cried as loud as she could. She was so distracted by the turn of events that she didn't even notice that she finally had full control over Erza's body. Just as Natsu's motionless body ragdolled off the Tower of Heaven, Kagura threw both of her hands out in a desperate attempt to catch Natsu's arms. The slapping of their skin resounded throughout the tower while Kagura leaned over the edge. "Muh- Master Natsu?! I'm going to save you and Simon." She gritted through her teeth while she held Natsu's dangling body above the abyss.

At this point, Kagura had no magic potential left to pull Natsu back up to the plateau. All of it was being used to support them two of them from falling.

Jellal maniacally chuckled to himself at how much Erza's body was struggling to support Natsu. He decided to amuse himself further by picking up Simon's body and hurling him towards the same ledge she was leaning over.

Kagura saw Simon's body skid across the plateau and towards the ledge out of the corner of her eye. "NO!" She pleaded with Erza's voice while partially letting go of Natsu to grab one of Simon's arms. The weight of Kagura clasping onto Simon's hand caused Erza's body to be pulled even further off the ledge. The lives of the two most important people in Kagura's life were now dangling in front of her.

Before Kagura could begin pleading for help, Jellal approached from behind her and spoke in a low tone. "Tell me who you chose, and I'll save whichever one you value more. Either way, you and whoever you chose are going to end up being sacrificed, so it really shouldn't matter who dies right now. Why plan on only resurrecting Zeref when I can use the other person to resurrect an entire army of Dark mages?!" He demonically declared.

"Help me lift both of them up so they can both live! You'll have three sacrifices for the Tower of Heaven which means we'll die just like you said!" She was hoping that if Jellal saved their lives, they could find a way to overpower him. Kagura completely forgot about her hatred towards Jellal as long as it meant there was a chance to save Natsu and Simon.

Jellal lowly spoke again when he noticed that Erza's arms were beginning to lose their grip. "You decide now, or fate will automatically decide for you. You were right when you claimed that the Flames of Rebuke have the potential to save a person's life on the brink of death. However, even I'm not powerful enough to use it multiple times on more than one person. Not to mention I'm making sure that if whoever I resurrect manages to defeat me, you'll have to live with the fact that you killed someone you loved. Not that you guys are going to be able to overpower me, but that's only a fair form of collateral to ensure you won't have any morale to make my job harder!" He paused to look at Erza's weakening grip again. "And judging from how exhausted you are, I would hurry up and make a choice if I were you."

Kagura's eyes widened in horror at what she realized Jellal was forcing her to do. This caused her to reluctantly look back down towards the eyelids of Natsu and Simon while she began to think about what Ivan asked her before she ended up at the Tower of Heaven. "' _What if I told you there was a way to save your brother from death if you had to make a sacrifice? Would you do it if I knew of a way to give you that opportunity?_ '" Her eyes began to tear up at the position she was placed in. She then began to whisper to herself in regret while somewhat yelling an apology to Natsu. "This… This isn't what I meant when I wanted to save Simon from dying… I- I just can't imagine a life without either of you!"

Kagura slowly felt Erza's grip loosening on both Simon and Natsu. She had enough time to pause and reflect on both their lives. _"If this is truly the only way to save Simon, will this outcome determine what happens to Natsu in the future?"_ Even though Kagura's mind was primarily thinking about what would happen if Simon were still alive, flashing images of Natsu mentioning Erza's advice at the Magic Coalition appeared in the back of her thoughts. Every piece of advice Natsu gave was to help her move on from her brother's death. "' _Erza told me that everything in life happens for a reason… I had to change in some ways to fully understand what Erza meant when she told me to embrace the path I'm on. But I'm glad I changed in some ways since I know it will help my Nakama and me in the future. The thing is, are you proud of the ways you've changed? Was it worth changing the aspects of your personality just to avenge your brother and gain this unfathomable power of yours? Erza made me realize you can find light in the darkest of places by broadening your view on certain situations and embracing the path you're led on."_

Her thoughts were cut off when she lost grip of Natsu's and Simon's arms. This caused her to lurch forward and latch onto their hands instead. Jellal noticed this and manically smiled from behind. "Time's up. What'll it be?"

Kagura closed Erza's eyes to prevent tears from falling out of them. No matter how far she came, she knew that she wasn't completely committed to moving on from Simon's death. The back of her mind conflicted one last time before she had to make her decision. " _Think one more time about what Natsu said! What if Simon was meant to die on this day? If he never died, what would happen to everything you now live for? What would happen to Fairy Tail? What would happen to your Nakama? What would happen to Master Natsu? What would you purpose in life be if Simon's death didn't happen for a reason? You're literally in Erza's position for crying out loud! Shouldn't that mean something to you?!_ " Her mind conflicted with her thoughts about Simon.

Just as Kagura completely lost her grip, she opened her eyes one last time to allow her tears to drip freely. She then whispered to the voice that was arguing in her head. "I- I can't do this. If I only had one of them in my future, I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing the other is dead. I'm sorry, Master Natsu." With that, Kagura shut her eyes and let go of her hands… Both of them.

She immediately threw Erza's body backwards, crawled away from the plateau's edge, and brought her knees to her eyes while she began to weep uncontrollably. She didn't want to bare looking over the edge to see the closest people in her life fall into the darkness below. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" She continued to helplessly greave to herself in agonizing pain.

Jellal's eyes widened slightly at her choice. He expected for Erza to save Natsu since they grew up in the same guild hall. He snapped himself out of this daze and insulted Natsu and Simon. "It's a shame to see what happened to them. Just as I thought I could use one of them as a second sacrifice, you couldn't bring yourself to save one over the other," He scoffed in disgust, "At least I don't have to worry about either of them putting up a fight when I finally sacrifice you." He started to walk towards Erza's body while reaching out for her shoulder.

Kagura began trembling in rage when she heard the man approaching from behind her. Now that Natsu and Simon were gone, her hatred and vengeance towards Jellal began to stem again. She slowly stood up from where she was mourning and turned around to face him. Her face was completely red with anger, hatred, and vengeance.

Even Jellal had to stop his advance when he noticed the change in Erza's facial expression.

Kagura slowly lowered Erza's head while she spoke in an intimidating voice. "You… You did this to them. You launched that spell which caused me to try and save them. I promised Natsu that I'd find a reason to overcome what you did to Simon," She hesitated a moment before shooting her head back up and using the remainder of Erza's magic to Requip one of her long blades, "BUT I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT KILLING YOU IF I WAS GIVEN THE CHANCE." She roared in rage while desperately thrusting her sword towards Jellal with all her might.

Her sword hurled through the air at a breakneck speed, but Jellal's agility allowed him to grab the sword's grip mid flight with his bare hands just as the tip was about to enter his chest. "Wrong choice." He triumphantly smiled while tossing the sword against the ground without a second thought.

" **Clang… Clank… Clankityclank.** " The sound of Erza's sword made.

Jellal continued to stare into Erza's brown eyes and noticed that they changed from a feeling of hatred and vengeance into one of disbelief; she had lost everything that mattered to her.

" _I… I lost. I didn't just lose to Jellal… I lost everything that matters to me._ " Kagura thought inside Erza's body while her eyes glossed over in tears. She was so consumed by exhaustion that she could only step backwards in shock away from Jellal. Whether it was losing Natsu and Simon, having no more magical potential, or not being able to bare being sacrificed to the tower of heaven, her eyes fluttered in physical and emotional pain which caused her to black out. Just before Jellal could reach out to claim his sacrifice, Erza's body stumbled towards the ledge of the Tower of Heaven before plummeting into the endless abyss below.

* * *

Scene Change – Present Day Time

" **Darkness Dimension:** _**Present Restored!"**_ Ivan chanted from in front of Kagura's suspended body.

Her body was thrashing in agitation while Ivan's spell began to wear off. "No… No… NOOOOOOOO!" Kagura yelled in agony before she completely regained control of her movements. She frantically looked around her and realized she was back in her cell. She didn't know how long she was under the influence of Ivan's spell, but she knew it was long enough to allow the gash on her cheek to fully clot. "Please… Please don't hurt them anymore. I'll do whatever you want." She begged towards Ivan.

He nodded in satisfaction before responding. "Now you know the sacrifice I was talking about if you wanted to save your brother. You chose to go back in time and make a sacrifice if it meant saving his life, but you never considered the possibility that this sacrifice would have to be your Guild Master. You ultimately decided that you couldn't bear to live in a future without either of them. That's when you realized that there was no path that you could embrace where both of them were still alive. If you were placed in that situation where your choice would truly impact the future, the blood of their deaths wouldn't be on Jellal's hands anymore, it'd be on yours."

Kagura retorted at what Ivan just said. "How on Earthland are you able to say that I'd be the reason for their deaths?! The only thing you proved was that I value both of them equally! Did you not see how I apologized to Natsu before I let go of his hand?" She shuddered at just the thought of it.

"You're wrong. You don't value them equally. What you just proved to me is that you HAVEN'T moved past Simon's death. If you truly moved on from your brother's death and found you new purpose in life as much as you claim to, then you would have realized that he was supposed to die on that fateful day in order for you to be the person you are right now. But you weren't able to accept that, were you? Because deep down inside you know that you wouldn't be able to live without your brother even if his death allowed you to embrace a different path that you could have been proud of. At the same time, you knew that you couldn't let go of Salamander considering he led you down this new path by introducing you to Fairy Tail and mentoring you on how to move on with your life. Even after you and Salamander realized that you would one day overcome Simon's death with the help of Fairy Tail, that wasn't enough motivation because you didn't want to embrace that path it meant having to kill Simon. You might call me a coward for abandoning Fairy Tail in order to secure my own power and lifestyle in this world, but you don't have much room to talk considering you refused to embrace the lifestyle that YOU preached to me about."

Kagura opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything at this point.

Ivan spoke one more time before leaving Kagura to reflect on what she had done. "You wouldn't have killed Simon by letting him go, you would have moved just on from his death. Nothing would have changed the fact that it was his choice to sacrifice himself. Jellal would have never killed Simon if he didn't choose to protect Erza; instead, Simon was confident in the path that HE chose. The fact is, you allow your feelings of hatred towards Jellal as well as the memories you have of Simon decide your future.

A long silence fell between the duo. Kagura knew Ivan was right. Everything that happened caused her to remember why she joined Fairy Tail. It was because she told Natsu something at the Magic Coalition that caused her to start moving past Simon's death. "' _Joining a guild could help change my perspective by finding a reason to move past everything that has happened to me. You were able to move past Erza's death even though something was responsible for her death, but you realized there's the possibility of a better future ahead of us if we embrace another path_." Even though she said all of that to Natsu two years ago, she couldn't help but feel as though she took a step backwards. Everything Natsu praised her for was for nothing, and it was now the worst feeling coursing throughout her body. Kagura lowered her head and began to grieve to herself in regret for not trusting her Guild Master.

Ivan silently marveled at his work before turning around and taking his leave without another word.

* * *

"I have to say; you guys definitely made my job a lot easier by tying together all these Dark mages. I'll be sure to put them in protective custody just as you requested, Master Natsu." Mest professionally spoke. He was wearing a lightly colored shirt with the Magic Council Rune Knight symbol on it. Over the shirt was a white cape fastened by a gem in the middle. The pants and shoes he wore were the same color as his cape and was complemented with a brown buckle. Without waiting, Mest hurdled over the rubble in the stairwell to reach the infirmary.

Natsu continued to beam at the man approaching the Magical Alliance. "What are you doing here Mest? It's the middle of the night! I don't want you to get in trouble if Gran Doma finds out that you came to Clover Town to talk to us. He didn't even form the Magical Alliance until he learned that Waterfall- I mean Wataru was killed. If it took that much to ask for our help, then I don't think he would want you anywhere near us."

Mest nodded in agreement. "You're right about that. Gran Doma wouldn't be too keen with me interacting with you guys, but he needed someone on call who he could trust to come to this guild hall and take all these Dark mages into custody. I know it's been a few years since we last spoke, but I hope you didn't forget that I'm one of your guild members. Master Makarov and I were debating on whether or not we should have erased my memory so I could play the part of a Magic Council representative more easily, but I ultimately chose not to. I didn't want to risk forgetting our family. The last thing I wanted to happen was for me to betray you guys somehow because I forgot who you were."

Reedus chuckled at what Mest said and chipped in. "I wouldn't feel too bad if Master Natsu forgot who you are. Nothing's really changed when it comes to him not being able to keep names straight. He barely remembered who Wataru was and he was a Wizard Saint."

Natsu pouted at what Reedus said. "Well… I remembered both of their names in the end, didn't I? It's not like I'm going to forget the name of one of Fairy Tail's guild members," He proudly propped his arms to his side before talking to the Magic Council representative, "And don't worry about not making an appearance at the guild hall. Everyone knows the risks you're taking to help Fairy Tail, and even though our paths are split for the time being, I can tell by how sincere you are that you haven't forgotten about our guild."

Mest smiled Natsu's advice and bowed in appreciation. "Thank you for understanding: all of you. I overheard your plan with the rest of the Magical Alliance and didn't want to interrupt you guys, but being here to help out is the least I could do for Fairy Tail ever since what happened to our friends on Tenrou Island."

"It's great that you came to help us by taking all these bastards away, but now that you're here, what about Gran Doma? What'll happen when he finds out that we used Dark mages to take down their headquarters?"

Mest confidently smirked and put a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "That's IF he finds out that we used Dark mages to take down their headquarters. What Gran Doma doesn't know won't hurt him as long as you trust those two to take you to their headquarters." He paused to gesture towards where Nullpudding and Flare were now standing.

Nullpudding groaned in annoyance and slight agitation. He separated himself from Flare and approached Mest. "Look buddy. I don't know what the hell you still want from us, but we already said we'd be more than happy to show the Magical Alliance where our headquarters are if it means we don't have to worry about our Guild Master hunting us down. If we're going to take down Raven Tail, there's going to have to be a bit of trust between us," He paused to gesture towards Flare, "We can get the Magical Alliance inside Raven Tail's Headquarters and take them to our Guild Master without any issues. From there, it'll be up to them to coordinate everything. As long as you guys keep your word and give us the protective custody from Alexei that Salamander promised, Gran Doma won't hear a word about this plan."

Jura stepped forth and interrupted the short man. "Calm down Nullpudding. I don't believe Mest meant any offense by that," He then directed his attention towards the Magic Council Representative, "So your name is Mest? I take it that you're an acquaintance of Master Natsu?" He extended his hand to shake Mest's.

Mest nodded while returning the handshake. "You'd be correct with that assumption. In fact, I'm actually a Fairy Tail Guild member currently disguised as a double agent to ensure that the Magic Council continues to act in the best interest of the guilds scattered around Fiore. I'll be able to help carry out Master Natsu's plan by giving protective custody to Nullpudding, Flare, and Obra; they'll be pardoned under the title as new guild members and that they joined Raven Tail assuming it was a legal guild. That way, Gran Doma won't question why their sentence is so lenient even though they took part in Lacrima experimentation."

"That's very generous of you considering the risks associated with being caught. With your help, I'm sure everything will go to plan. In fact, that's a much safer option than me having to convince the Magic Council and them finding out we used Dark mages to take down their own guild."

Natsu interrupted the duo when he heard Mest clarify why he came. "Mest? There's something you should know about those mages who were tied up. I don't know how to say this to you, but one of Raven Tail's guild members killed himself in order for two of his apprentices to use his magic and teleport the rest of these Dark mages here. We didn't get an opportunity to… I mean, everyone was busy trying to protect me…" Natsu fidgeted while trying to find a way to word what he wanted to say. Even though Kurohebi was the Dark mage who captured Kagura, it was never easy for him to talk about death. Watching people die always had a way of reminding him about how much he missed the Tenrou group even if he finally got to spend time with more of his guildmates.

Mest sighed and responded to Natsu's fidgeting. "So that's why that black haired man was lying on the floor when I got here."

"Wait. So you saw him when you came in?"

"I did, but don't worry about what'll happen to him. The two men I brought with me are properly disposing his body. You can rest at ease when you go up to the main floor. It's like nothing happened."

"That's great to here," Natsu's eyes widened when he remembered to ask Mest for another favor, "Before we do anything else though, would you happen to have two Lacrimas on you that we can use to communicate between Flare and Nullpudding?"

Mest smiled while pulling a crystal orb from inside his Magic Council cape. "My men and I always have an extra Lacrima on hand for emergencies such as this. You can take one of mine and one of the Rune Knights upstairs will be more than happy to lend you one of theirs on your way out." He finished by handing the orb to Natsu.

Natsu couldn't have been more grateful while he pocketed the Lacrima. "You really came through when we needed you Mest. I didn't even think about how we would cover up their prison sentence or even communicate between them when we end up invading their headquarters." He stopped to gesture towards Nullpudding, Flare, Obra, and their apprentices.

"I'm always glad to help," Mest nodded his head in acknowledgment while surveying the rest of the Magical Alliance, "If you guys are all done at this guild hall, then you don't have to wait here any longer. I'll wrap things up here by taking all the other Dark mages into protective custody and closing the guild hall down so the Magic Council can use it as evidence against Alexei."

Natsu spoke in agreement. "Mest is right. We need to get going while we still have our magical potential. It's already going to be a longer walk for us since it's the middle of the night, and Alexei isn't going to wait for us to save Kagura. We can head back to our campsite, gather our belongings, and get back to Magnolia Town while it's still dark. We can sleep once we get there."

Hibiki cocked his eyebrow when he heard this. "Not to sound rude or anything, but couldn't we just head back to our campsite and travel to Magnolia Town in the morning?"

Natsu scratched his head sheepishly when he heard this. "I kinda already told the rest of Fairy Tail that I'm training Reedus to take some S-Class quests, so it'd be pretty bad if we walked into Magnolia Town during the day and one of our guildmates spotted us together. We can set up camp when we get to Magnolia Town, eat something, and attack Raven Tail's headquarters when it's midday so we know that Alexei will be there. Not to mention that it's best if we use the energy from Eiji's Holy Verse to get there now rather than having to walk a few hours to Magnolia Town in the morning."

Mest then responded. "If that's the plan, can I expect you to contact me by the end of tomorrow once you're done clearing out Raven Tail's headquarters?"

Natsu looked around the infirmary at the Magical Alliance members. "Does anyone see anything wrong with our plan?" A deathly silence loomed over the infirmary for the next few seconds which allowed him to continue speaking to Mest. "Then you can expect us to contact you by the end of tomorrow." He finished by confidently speaking.

"Great. I'll be sure to have an entire squad of Rune Knights on standby waiting for your Lacrima call. We'll come in, help with the cleanup, and apprehend Alexei. We won't let Raven Tail escape from you this time."

Natsu glanced over towards where Nullpudding and Flare were. "Let's get going then. The sooner we get back to Magnolia Town, the sooner we can eat something. You two can lead the way since you know where you're going, and I'll get Jura to follow behind us to make sure no one gets left behind."

Nullpudding held his arm in the air in response. "Fine by us." He spoke for Flare and Jura. The two Dark mages both patted Obra's puppet as a farewell while separating themselves from their apprentices. Mest approached the small creature resting on top of his blue puppet and restrained both of them using a pair of magical restrains on his waist. He then ordered the rest of the apprentices to form a single line in front of him while he restrained each one individually.

Nullpudding and Flare then waited at the broken stairwell of the guild hall while Natsu turned back around to survey the Magical Alliance. "Is everyone ready to leave?" The Dragon Slayer asked.

"HHOORRRAAHHH!" The Magical Alliance roared above the guild's silence without hesitation. Natsu wasn't expecting the amount of enthusiasm to resound throughout the guild hall. Even Reedus thrust Archenemy into the air to accompany the morale that everyone had.

When Natsu saw Reedus holding Archenemy, he couldn't help but be reminded of Kagura. Even though the Magical Alliance was finally getting the opportunity to save her, he couldn't help but feel self-doubt usher over him: almost as if he was the one responsible for her being captured. Natsu lightly shook the thoughts out of his head in denial while he began to walk towards Mest. He put a hand on the Magic Council representative's shoulder and lowly spoke. "Thanks again Mest." He then raised his voice towards Nullpudding and Flare. "Lead the way you guys."

Mest smiled when he saw Natsu separate from him. He watched as the Magical Alliance began to funnel behind Natsu and into the broken stairwell.

The last person to leave the infirmary was Jura. He extended his hand back towards Mest and shook it once more. "I will see you tomorrow once we have defeated Raven Tail." Jura confidently spoke while he followed behind the Magical Alliance.

The entire time Mest continued to smile while he thought to himself. " _Good luck Fairy Tail._ "

* * *

Thank you for you time!

 **Author's Note:** Here's a clarification on a really big plot detail; as far as this Fanfiction is concerned, Mest never got his memory erased. In the anime, he erased his memory so he could join the Magic Council with a blank slate. As a result, he forgot his true identity as a Fairy Tail mage and began working as a Magic Council representative in order to find a reason for Gran Doma to disband Fairy Tail. The thing is, it made no sense as to why Master Makarov didn't predict this earlier. When Mest erased his memory, that included him forgetting that he was a part of Fairy Tail. I really didn't like that plot hole in the anime, so I opted to leave it out all together.


	20. Chapter 20 - Search and Rescue

**Author's Note:** For some reason, I feel like this chapter is really bad. This is coming from someone who doesn't usually doubt their writing style. I just can't help but feel as though this chapter contrasts too much from my typical writing style. Please let me know if my writing style isn't what you're used to, because there's A LOT of different components in this chapter that might have overwhelmed me when writing it.

That being said, some of you might have noticed that Natsu has been feeling some self-doubt since Kagura was captured. All I can say is pay close attention to those details, because they're going to form the basis of the next arc!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 20: Search and Rescue**

The darkness of the night had long set in throughout the forests surrounding Magnolia Town. The only sign of movement was from the Magical Alliance beginning to exit the forest towards Raven Tail's headquarters. Even though the surrounding area had fully succumb to the silence of the night, the mages a part of the Magical Alliance continued to make small talk between each other to keep themselves occupied.

The only person who wasn't talking was Natsu. His head was staring straight down towards the path he was walking on while he thought about the events that led up to Kagura being captured. " _I'm supposed to be in charge of the Magical Alliance. How was I able to let them take her without even putting up a fight? If I actually listened to Jura, maybe we could have stopped Alexei and I wouldn't have needed Eiji to save my life. If- If something happens to Kagura, I'll only have myself to blame for not being strong enough to save her."_ Natsu stopped thinking to himself and widened his eyes at what he thought. He lightly shook his head before continuing. " _What am I saying…? This is Kagura I'm talking about. She's one of Fairy Tail's most determined mages. I'm sure she'll understand where I'm coming from once she knows that I tried everything to save her."_ Natsu finished thinking with uncertainty. He attempted to distract himself by asking a question that was on his mind. "So are you two going to tell me, or do I have to ask?" He called out above the Magical Alliance to ensure that Nullpudding and Flare could hear him since they were leading the group.

The small talk quickly began to taper off once everyone heard Natsu speak. The short silence was replaced with Nullpudding groaning in annoyance. "What are you going on about now Salamander?"

"I mean, what is Raven Tail trying to accomplish by harvesting the power of Lacrimas?"

"And why the hell do you think Flare and I would know the answer to that?" Nullpudding retorted.

"From what Eiji told me, You, Flare, and Obra put up a pretty good fight back at the guild hall, and Eiji's probably the strongest mage in Fairy Tail right now. It's obvious that you guys are Raven Tail's strongest mages, otherwise Kurohebi wouldn't have bothered teleporting you to the guild hall in the first place. Shouldn't that be enough for Alexei to trust you with what Raven Tail's motives are? It honestly shouldn't matter at this point if you tell us since Alexei is going to hunt you down either way."

"Salamander… You should know by now that Alexei isn't some idiot. Think about it. No one in Raven Tail has seen his face up until you guys got ahold of his files. He was able to sneak his headquarters underneath your guild's noses for years and Fairy Tail didn't notice a thing, and he practically played you like a deck of cards and used that to his advantage by causing a big enough distraction so Kurohebi could capture Kagura. Even though we're his Elite mages, we know nothing about why he's performing Lacrima implantations. The only thing he's mentioned about his motives was that they were for his own personal reasons. He guaranteed us with unfathomable power, wealth, and a life of comfort when we were done."

For the first time since they left the guild hall, Flare began to speak which took the Magical Alliance by surprise. "Nullpudding isn't lying to you, Pinky," She referred to the color of Natsu's hair, "We'll show you where our guild hall is, and you can get a chance to ask him everything when we invade them. It's not like that's going to help us take down Alexei. That's wht we should be worrying about right now."

Jura chipped in to the conversation. "I'm going to have to agree with Flare. Right now, we need to focus on saving Kagura and stopping Raven Tail from performing Lacrima implantations before they can carry out what they're trying to accomplish."

Nullpudding responded to Jura's comment. "Speaking of stopping Raven Tail, I can already see Magnolia Town through the trees. It's up to Master Natsu what he wants to do here before we raid the headquarters tomorrow."

Natsu lifted his head upwards and surveyed the members of the Magical Alliance. To his surprise, none of the Magical Alliance members were struggling to stay awake. "Aren't you guys feeling tired yet?" He asked out loud.

A silence dawned on the Magical Alliance while Lyon spoke up. "Surprisingly, no. Whatever Holy Verse that Eiji recited is definitely doing the trick right now."

Natsu nodded his head and spoke towards where Nullpudding was walking in front. "Alright then. If that's the case, instead of us setting up camp on the outskirts of Magnolia Forrest, I want you to take us to Raven Tail's Guild hall."

Nullpudding then spoke in surprise. "Why right now? I thought you wanted to wait until morning to attack Raven Tail?"

"Who said anything about attacking? I just want to get a general layout of the headquarters. It'll help us coordinate everything better."

This caused Nullpudding to shake his head. "I'll take you there right now if you want, but you're gonna be disappointed. I'm gonna lead us around the forest towards the back. There's no way I'm going into Magnolia Town in the middle of the night. We look suspicious enough walking around in a group. The last thing I want is to run into one of you Fairy Flies and have them start freaking out." He said while Flare and him turned to lead the Magical Alliance through the perimeter of Magnolia Forrest.

Natsu nodded in agreement. "You have a point. Knowing my guild, we're probably throwing another party. The last thing we need is to run into Macao and Wakaba when they're walking home drunk." He joked which caused Eiji and Reedus to laugh.

A few minutes went by while Nullpudding and Flare continued to lead the Magical Alliance around the raised perimeter of Magnolia Forest. After they looped around the forest, Nullpudding led everyone onto a green plateau that looked over Fairy Tail and lake Sciliora.

Natsu approached the ledge of the plateau which led into a grassy decline towards the rocky shores of the lake. He noticed that the Fairy Tail Guild hall was silently resting in front of the lake's shore. "This makes our job easier. Fairy Tail's lights are off, so that means no one's at the guild hall."

Nullpudding nodded in agreement. "It's not like that's going to matter for much longer anyways. You wanted to see where Raven Tail's headquarters are, so there you have it. We can set up camp now and finalize that plan of yours before attacking tomorrow."

A few seconds went by while Natsu tried to observe the surroundings Nullpudding was referring to. "I still don't see Raven Tail's headquarters. Is it somewhere on the far side of the lake?" Natsu asked while peering into the distance towards the mountainous region.

"Nope. You were looking right at it the entire time." Nullpudding added by gesturing towards the silent lake in front of them. "I told you that you'd be disappointed."

"I still don't know what you're talking about. All I see is lake Sciliora." Natsu replied with confusion.

The rest of the Magical Alliance peered into the distance to see if they could spot the guild in the background. However, Jura didn't bother. The Earth mage's eyes widened as he was the first to realize where Raven Tail's headquarters was. "Nullpudding… You can't be serious?"

Nullpudding nonchalantly nodded. "Jura seems to get it… Raven Tail's headquarters is beneath lake Sciliora." He said while beginning to rappel down the steep incline towards the shore of the lake with Flare at his side. Flare and him were now standing on the shoreline diagonal from where Fairy Tail's Guild hall was residing.

Natsu followed behind the two mages and was the first to reach the bottom with them. The Dragon Slayer approached where Nullpudding and Flare were standing and began to grit his teeth in frustration. "What the hell are you guys trying to pull? I've trained in this exact lake for the past two years with the rest of Fairy Tail. I think I'd know if there was a Dark Guild below it this entire time."

"We aren't pulling anything Salamander. Raven Tail's headquarters is right here," Nullpudding retorted while gesturing out into the lake again. "If you don't believe us, you'll have to wait until tomorrow so we can disguise ourselves and attack the guild."

Natsu and Nullpudding argued for a few seconds while the rest of the Magical Alliance finished walking down the steep incline. Jura was the first to join Natsu and Nullpudding and spoke above their argument. "Master Natsu? Nullpudding isn't lying. I can feel the structure of Raven Tail's headquarters beneath the lake with my Earth magic." Jura then stepped in front of Nullpudding and spoke while his back was turned to him. "This is so Natsu can see it for himself." He paused to raise both hands from the ground. A massive wall of earth jetted from the bottom of the lake and broke the surface of the water. Jura clasped his hands together before parting them back to each of his sides. This caused the giant wall in the middle of the lake to split in half and push the water away.

In front of all the mages was the ground of lake Sciliora which led to a massive castle in the middle of the lake. The magical alliance only got a short glimpse at the structure before water rushed in to fill the gap between the two walls. Jura finally rested his hands back at his side which caused the walls to crumble back into the lake.

Sherria was the first to react to the massive castle she saw. "Thuh- That was so cool," She stuttered while her mouth went slack, "But how are you supposed to get in?"

"As I was trying to tell Salamander before he started arguing with me, the reason we don't use the entrance that often is because it makes a pretty big scene. We have to force the water to part just like Jura did in order to let someone in. We mainly use teleportation to get in the guild so we don't attract attention. We only use the entrance when we're out of magic potential, and that's if no one is nearby."

Natsu could barely respond at what he just witnessed. "You weren't kidding when you said that Alexei snuck Raven tail's headquarters under our noses. I can't believe that all this time, one of Fiore's strongest Dark guilds is right next to Fairy Tail." He said while looking across the beautiful lake to the Fairy Tail Guild hall.

"Well… You better believe it Pinky. Because in a couple of hours, our lives are going to depend on how well we can coordinate this attack you have planned." Flare warned Natsu.

Natsu tuned around to survey the rest of the Magical Alliance. "Speaking of coordinating our attack, I think Hibiki can help us out with that."

A short silence fell upon the Magical Alliance while Hibiki slowly made his way to Natsu. "I'd be glad to help, but how will my magic help with our attack?"

"Well… Instead of Nullpudding and Flare having to describe the inside of their guild hall to us, couldn't you use your **Archive** magic to map Raven Tail's entire layout even if it's underground?

The rest of the Trimen's were in shock. Even Ren was surprised at what Natsu suggested. "That actually might work. You think you'd be able to do that Hibiki?" Ren called out to him.

"Only one way to find out." Hibiki responded while kneeling towards the ground. He placed one of his palms on the shore and used his free hand to touch his temples with his index fingers. " **Information Transfer."** He chanted out loud. This caused the palm of his hand to glow yellow while a holographic projection formed in front of the Magical Alliance.

After Hibiki concentrated for a few seconds, the holographic projection began to display a 2-D version of the entire Raven Tail headquarters layout. Once the projection finished forming, Hibiki lowered his other hand and began to lift himself of the ground while panting. "Suh- Sorry it's only a 2-D version. That's the best I was able to do with the magic potential I have."

The Magical Alliance viewed the holographic projection in awe. This caused Ichiya to praise Hibiki's magic. "Hibiki, we were already planning to attack Raven Tail without even knowing what the guild hall looks like. Now we can know where we're going without Nullpudding and Flare having to describe everything to us. Give yourself some credit. I mean, there's even labels on the map that show us where Alexei's office, the mess hall, and Lacrima Experimentation cells are."

Natsu turned to Nullpudding and spoke to him. "Does that look like the inside of Raven Tail?"

Nullpudding nodded without hesitation. "Down to where the bathrooms are."

Natsu walked up to Hibiki, put a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you Hibiki. I wouldn't have asked you to do that if I knew you couldn't. How about we head back up to the forest, set up camp, and let you guys rest up." He finished by asking the Magical Alliance.

Before anyone could respond in agreement, Ichiya twirled towards the lake and spoke to the Magical Alliance. "Men?! Why wait until tomorrow when we just found out that Raven Tail's headquarters is under water? Now that we know what the inside of their guild looks like, we should disguise ourselves and invade while it's still night time! We'll catch all the Dark mages by surprise, and we'll still have our energy from Eiji's Holy verse."

Nullpudding and Flare were already heading back up towards the forest when Nullpudding stopped to respond to Ichiya. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Nullpudding warned, "Yeah, we'll catch the Dark mages who sleep in the headquarters off guard. We'll also be able to get to Kagura before Alexei is warned if we move fast enough, but there's no promising Alexei will be here even if we sneak into the guild hall under disguise. If you want to get Alexei, we gotta wait until the afternoon when he's gonna be here. I hate to admit it, but Salamander is right with waiting until later. We're here to capture Alexei, and we need to wait until he's at the guild hall. If you want to pull off going in under disguise, we're still going to need a fleshed out plan.

The Magical Alliance silently agreed with what Nullpudding said. Natsu began to follow him and spoke out loud with a saddened tone. "Nullpudding pretty much summed it up. I know we all want to save Kagura, but if we don't stop Alexei while we're at it, then we'll all be targets for Raven Tail. We'll attack Raven Tail first thing after we finalize our plan and wake up in the afternoon."

As much as Reedus hated to admit it, he knew that Natsu was right. "Oui. Master Natsu have a point. We only have one shot at making this plan work, and part of it includes taking down Alexei so something like this doesn't happen again."

Ichiya silently nodded in agreement with the rest of The Magical Alliance while they all followed Nullpudding and Flare back up the incline into the perimeter of Magnolia Forest.

* * *

"Did everyone get a bowl of soup?" Natsu asked while taking a look around the campsite.

" **Aye Sir**." The Magical Alliance chirped while taking small sips of the warm broth. The part of the forest they set up their campsite in was far enough so they could talk without drawing attention while still being able to watch over Magnolia Town and lake Sciliora.

"Then I want Hibiki to display that holographic projection of Raven Tail's guild so we can finalize our plans before we go to sleep." Natsu responded.

Hibiki held up his hand towards the camp fire which everyone sat around. This caused the hologram to appear above it which was visible from any angle it was viewed from.

Natsu took sips out of his bowl while beginning to explain the plan again. "Alright. Just to recap what's going to happen. Nothing's really changed from what I came up with at the guild hall. Nullpudding and Flare are going to be the only two mages without disguises, and I'm going to split the rest of you up to act as their apprentices. Since Nullpudding and Flare will be leading most of you, they won't need to use this map as much as I'm going to. Is everyone following me so far?"

The Magical Alliance nodded in response. "How did you want to divide everyone up again?" Nullpudding spoke out loud.

"I was just about to get to that. You're going to take those files that I gave you back at the guild hall and use that as an excuse to meet up with Alexei in his office," Natsu pointed at a room in the northern part of the projection, "You're going to take Jura, Eiji, and Reedus with you. All three of them are going to be disguised as your apprentices, and the only thing you have to worry is taking down Alexei once we're all in position. It shouldn't be suspicious at all that you're taking your apprentices with you since Alexei will think that they helped you recover the files. Alexei might put up a fight, but Jura, Eiji, and more than capable of putting a stop to him."

"What about me Pinky? What did you want me to do?" Flare spoke out loud.

"You're going to take out as many Dark mages as you can. My best advice would be to start in the area with the most Dark mages and stay there. That way, any other Dark mages scattered around the guild hall will be drawn towards you guys. The three disguised mages you're going to take are Sherria, Lyon, and Ichiya. The three of them have pretty good endurance and shouldn't have any problems with providing support."

Hibiki then spoke for the rest of the Trimens since they were the only ones unassigned. "That leaves me, Ren, and Eve. If I remembered correctly, we're going to come with you and rescue Kagura?"

Natsu nodded in response. "You've got it. I'll be disguised as Obra, and the three of you will be my apprentices. Now that you made this projection, we shouldn't need to use your Archive to map out the structures of all the cells. We should be able to locate and save Kagura without any issues before Raven Tail even gets time to react."

"So where do those Lacrimas that we got from Mest come into play?" Ichiya interrupted.

Natsu took two of the Lacrimas from his cloak's pocket and tossed them towards Nullpudding and Flare. "We're only going to use them to coordinate the initial attack. I know that you can't really call all of us when you're meeting Alexei, so we'll use the Lacrima for **Telepathy** instead. Whenever you two are in position with your disguised mages, use the Lacrima to transfer your thoughts to us and we'll be able to do the same to you. When we're all ready, that's when Nullpudding can take down Alexei."

Nullpudding and Flare shrugged at the plan. "Sounds good to us." He spoke for the both of them.

"Now we can get into actually coordinating everything, we can sort out the smaller problems," Natsu paused to put down his soup and look over towards where Nullpudding and Flare were sitting, "Nullpudding? What are the chances of Alexei being in his office when we enter the guild hall?"

"I'd say 50-50. It's a pretty big guild hall, so he can be anywhere. That includes checking on the experiments. It'll be too big of a risk to assume he'll be in his office when he could be on the other side of the guild hall for all we know."

"Then the first thing you're going to do is ask someone to page Alexei and meet you in his office so you can discuss these files you recovered at the other guild hall. The files should serve as proof to meet with Alexei. After that, we'll split up and clear each of our individual tasks. Remember, it needs to be coordinated perfectly. Otherwise, Alexei's going to have time to react and act accordingly. As long as Nullpudding, Jura, Eiji, and Reedus get to start off the attack, we should be fine because Alexei will be too occupied," He paused to look at the entire Magical Alliance this time, "The only people who are going to stay in disguise indefinitely are me and the Trimens since we can't compromise our identities to gain access to the cells. Once the attack is kicked off and Flare starts to fight the Dark mages while Nullpudding takes down Alexei, then those two groups can lose their disguise. But not before you two are in position. If the Dark mages find out that Flare's apprentices are actually in disguise, then they're going to attack her in an unpopulated place. If Nullpudding loses his disguise too early… Well… You can guess what would happen there."

Everyone nodded in understanding. Lyon looked over to where Sherria was and asked her if she understood, which caused her to nod in agreement.

Eiji then asked a question that was plaguing the back of everyone's minds. "So as long as we keep our cool and do our part, then we shouldn't have any issues?"

Natsu hesitated before responding. He didn't want to make a promise that he knew he couldn't keep. "From what I've came up with right now, the answer's no. As long as everyone does their part, there shouldn't be a reason why this won't be a cake walk; it'll probably be more stressful than anything," Natsu hesitated once more and debated if he should say his next clarification, "If things go south and our plan doesn't work… You guys do whatever you have to do in order to get the hell out of the guild hall. The Trimens and I will force our way into the cells. We'll get Kagura, get out, and I'll still keep my promise to Nullpudding and Flare and give them protective custody. Taking down Raven Tail isn't worth losing Kagura or any of you." He sincerely reassured Eiji.

This caused a wave of relief to usher over the Magical Alliance.

"Is there anything else you feel that we should go over? Jura asked out loud after the relief ended.

After a few seconds of silence, Hibiki stood up, snapped his fingers, and chanted a spell which caused the map to disappear. " _ **Archive Transfer."**_

The spell caused Natsu to rapidly blink his eyes and hold his head and confusion. "Whoa! I can see the map in my head now!"

"Yup. I transferred it to all the Magical Alliance members. You guys will be able to access it whenever they want. Just remember, if you decide to project it using your thoughts, no one else will be able to see it. So don't be afraid to pull it up in the middle of the guild hall."

Natsu held up his thumb and grinned. "Thanks again Hibiki. That'll definitely help guide us towards Kagura tomorrow. Now that we have that out of the way and we're all comfortable with tomorrow's attack, then I think it's time we hit the hay. We'll wake up around noon, get something to eat, and have Reedus put on our disguises." Natsu finished speaking to the Magical Alliance.

With that, everyone tiredly returned their empty soup bowls to Natsu and thanked him for making them dinner. The Magical Alliance then split off from each other to change into their sleep attire.

Eiji noticed everyone noticed everyone stand up and break off from each other to change in privacy, so he awkwardly walked over towards Reedus and Natsu. "Umm… Reedus? I didn't really have the time to bring anything with me… That includes pajamas." The Demon Slayer sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

Reedus jokingly sighed. "Pardon me, but one of Fiore's strongest mages forgets to bring his pajamas?" This warranted a childish look from Eiji before Reedus continued. "Don't worry about it. Natsu and I did the same thing. I'll just sketch us something to wear again." The Pict mage then pulled out his light pen from his shirt's pocket and scribbled the same pajama outline that Natsu and him wore the other night. The only difference was that Kagura wasn't there for Reedus to draw the nightgown that she originally wore. Instead, he drew a similar design for Flare to wear. A few moments later, a cloud of dust appeared around the four mages without sleepwear which caused them to change into the same attire consisting of black shorts and a white t-shirt. "The spell will wear off when we try changing back into our old clothes." Reedus finished by gesturing towards their neatly folded clothes resting to the side of the campsite.

"No way! Thanks a bunch Reedus. I know for a fact that I wouldn't be able to sleep in my formal attire." Eiji stopped to gesture to what he usually dressed. It was a light purple dress shirt coupled with a maroon tie and a navy blue sports coat on top. His beige Kakis and brown dress shoes rested on top.

Flare looked down towards her body once the cloud of dust around the mages cleared and noticed that she was wearing a red nightgown while Nullpudding had the same clothes as the three Fairy Tail mages. She narrowed her eyes and spoke towards Reedus. "Don't think that this changes anything between us."

Reedus simply held up his hand and rolled his eyes at the two Dark mages before speaking to Eiji. "As long as it helps us rest up before tomorrow, that's all that matters." He finished by approaching Eiji and giving him a fist bump before parting ways to get a sleeping bag.

The fact that Kagura was missing from the Magical Alliance when they all changed clothes didn't go unnoticed by Natsu who helplessly frowned, grabbed his sleeping bag from the side of the campsite, and moved to a comfortable location to lie down. Once he tucked himself inside his sleeping bag, he turned to his side and could barely make out the Fairy Tail Guild hall from the forest tree line. His eyes slowly began to shut while he was left to his own thoughts since Reedus reminded him of Kagura. Even though he kept telling himself not to worry about it, he knew that deep down inside he couldn't stop blaming himself for being the reason why Kagura wasn't with them. " _Please be okay Kagura… If you're not… I don't know how I'll be able to live with myself knowing that I hurt you."_ Before he could even deny the resurfacing self-doubt he was feeling or even say goodnight to the rest of the Magical Alliance that was finishing changing, his mind succumbed to sleep.

* * *

"Pardon me… But why is it so bright?" Reedus groggily muttered while turning in his sleeping bag next to Eiji.

Eiji began to do the same with the rest of the Magical Alliance while they slowly rubbed their eyes in annoyance. Once Eiji's eyes fully adjusted to the brightness, he peered towards the sky and noticed that the sun had cleared the trees around them and was directly above their campsite. "I guess that means it's time to wake up." The Demon Slayer sighed at the time of day it was.

Before any of them could stagger out of their sleeping bags, a voice called out from the center of the campsite which snapped everyone out of their dazed state. "Eiji's right. We promised Mest that we'd clear out Raven Tail's headquarters by the time the sun sets. Unless we want him to start worrying why it's taking us so long, we need to head out while the afternoon is still young. I spent most of the morning cooking up brunch for us so we can have enough energy for the rest of the day."

"Master Natsu? How long have you been up?" Jura worriedly asked while approaching the campsite's center.

The rest of the Magical Alliance got up from their sleeping bags and approached the large assortment of food next to Natsu. Flare followed Nullpudding while they eyed the food and added to what Jura asked. "The better question is why'd Salamander cook so much food?" The Nullpudding asked while he cocked his eyebrow.

"I've only been up for a few hours. I had a nightmare and couldn't fall back asleep, so I decided to cook us brunch so we could head out as soon as possible. Since this should be the last time we eat together on this mission, I decided to use up the rest of our food before it all went bad. I thought you'd like to eat something other than soup for a change." He finished by glumly smiling. No matter how much he tried to reassure himself that he did everything he could to keep Kagura safe, something Nullpudding told him caused feelings of self-doubt to resurface in his mind. "' _He practically played you like a deck of cards and used that to his advantage by causing a big enough distraction so Kurohebi could capture Kagura_ ,'" He repeated what Nullpudding said in his mind, " _What if… What if he's right? What if the only reason Kagura isn't here right now is because of me?"_

Reedus gulped in fear and interrupted Natsu's train of thought by guessing what Natsu's nightmare was about. "Pardon me for asking… But was you nightmare about Kagura?"

Natsu hesitated for a moment before silently nodding at the question that Reedus asked.

Jura put a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Don't feel embarrassed. That only proves that she means a lot to you. I'm sure you know that Kagura is one of the strongest mages in Fiore; she'll be able to handle whatever Alexei throws at her. If you're still worried about how she's doing, I suggest we all eat up as fast as possible and get down to lake Sciliora." He finished by taking a seat around the campsite while the rest of the Magical Alliance followed his lead.

Nullpudding sighed at what Jura said. He needed Natsu to be in the right mindset before they attacked Raven Tail's headquarters, so he truthfully spoke out loud. "If it makes you feel any better Salamander, Alexei's job isn't to kill her. He just wants as much power from harvesting Lacrimas, and he can't extract them until his test subjects strengthen it to the point where it'll be worth his time. Even if that'll end up killing them, it took weeks for Alexei to get that Wizard Saint to fully strengthen the Lacrima that he extracted. Judging from how stubborn and direct Kagura was towards Kurohebi and I, she's probably putting up a bigger fight than Alexei can handle."

This caused the Fairy Tail mages to chuckle. "That sounds like Kagura," Natsu said out loud while his thoughts were distracted towards the Lacrima experiments, "Speaking of harvesting Lacrimas, give me a heads up… How many prisoners are we talking about here?" Natsu began to grow serious again.

"Around a dozen at the same time. Alexei tries to be really picky about his experiments so it doesn't attract attention from the Magic Council. As for us capturing one of the Wizard Saints, that was just an opportunity that Alexei didn't want to pass up. Once he finds out that capturing a Wizard Saint was the reason you guys were able to find Raven Tail's headquarters, he'll know why it's not a good idea to bite off more than you can chew."

Sherria bounced on the log next to Lyon. "The short man said something about biting. Does that mean we can eat now?" She wined while eyeing the massive array of food in front of everyone.

The entire Magical Alliance laughed at her antics. This caused Flare to speak next to Nullpudding. "The little girly has a point. Pinky did a good job making all this food."

Natsu gestured towards the food resting around the firepit. Everything was assembled into a massive English breakfast consisting of French Toast, fried eggs, bacon, sausages, and hash browns. "I didn't make this all for myself. Dig in guys." From what Nullpudding told him, Kagura would be able to handle whatever experimentation Alexei could throw at her which would give him a reason to not badger himself. At least, that's all he could hope for at this point.

* * *

Lake Sciliora was beautiful no matter what time of year it was. The sun's rays always reflected across the surface of the water which caused it to glisten throughout the day. The Magical Alliance stood at the same shoreline of the lake that was diagonal from the back of Fairy Tail's Guild hall.

While they all anxiously viewed the surface of the water in suspense, Nullpudding's voice broke the tension in the air. "We better hurry up and finalize everything before one of those Fairy Flies comes outside and sees us over here."

"Don't worry about them. They got done training for the day around the time you guys woke up, so they're all in the guild hall showering and taking a break from the heat outside. I actually watched them run around the other side of the forest." Natsu gestured towards the part of Magnolia Forest on the other side of town.

"Well… If we're just going to stand here in the middle of broad daylight in front of Raven Tail's headquarters, I'd feel better if you guys at least had your disguises on so we can get moving."

Natsu nodded at Nullpudding's request and turned to Reedus. "Alright Reedus, remember what our plan is. You, Jura, and Eiji will be disguised as Nullpudding's apprentices. Sherria, Lyon, and Ichiya are going to be disguised as Flare's apprentices. I'll be disguised as Obra, while the rest of the Trimen's will be disguised as my apprentices."

"Oui!" Reedus exclaimed while he pulled out a Light Pen from his vest and began drawing on his stomach. Once he finished his sketch, a colorful cloud of dust appeared around the entire Magical Alliance. The dust slowly dissipated after a few seconds which revealed Natsu disguised as Obra resting on top of his blue puppet. The rest of the Magical Alliance was transformed into all nine of the apprentices.

Natsu surveyed Obra's puppet before looking back up towards Reedus. "I gotta hand it to you Reedus. I can't even tell the difference between us and the real apprentices. You got us right down to the clothes they wore." He looked at Reedus who was disguised as one of Nullpudding's apprentices. Even Archenemy disappeared with the rest of their clothing.

Reedus scratched his head in embarrassment. "Thank you Master Natsu. Sorry for not transforming your voice like the rest of us. If I did that… Well… None of us would understand you."

Natsu shook his head in disagreement. "That shouldn't matter since I can have the Trimens speak for me. We'll let Nullpudding and Flare be the judge on our transformations," He paused to look towards the two Dark mages, "How do we look? Do you think your guild will tell the difference?"

Nullpudding was speechless at how well the disguises were while he surveyed the Magical Alliance. "The rest of you look so much like our apprentices that it's kinda freaky. As long as Salamander doesn't speak out loud by accident, there's no reason for this not to work."

Flare nodded in agreement while cautioning everyone. "Just remember what Nullpudding said last night and at the guild hall. We can get you into the guild hall without a problem. But once we get into position, it'll be up to all of us to take down Alexei, save Kagura, and defeat Raven Tail's guild mates."

"That's what we agreed on. Keep the Lacrimas I gave you two last night so we can use **Telepathy** to coordinate the attack once we're all in position." Natsu responded while a short silence fell upon the Magical Alliance. He then turned to Nullpudding and gave him a thumbs up. "We're all ready. Get us into the guild hall, and let's take Raven Tail down." He finished by giving his signature toothy grin to all the mages.

"HHOOORRAHHH!" The Magical Alliance lightly cheered in excitement and happiness from finally getting the chance to take down Raven Tail and save Kagura.

Nullpudding shook his head at their antics. "You guys better make sure you're ready. This is the last time we'll all be able to talk face to face before I take you into Raven Tail's headquarters." Right as Nullpudding paused, Lyon grew serious and took the chance to whisper instructions to Sherria for the last time. Nullpudding began to speak again once Lyon was done murmuring. "If that's the case… Jura, Eiji, and Reedus can group up around me. Sherria, Lyon, and Ichiya can group up around Flare. And the Trimens can group up around Salamander"

The entire Magical Alliance listened to Nullpudding's orders and began to break apart into three separate groups. Nullpudding and Flare nodded in agreement once double checking that their apprentices belonged to them. This allowed Natsu to continue speaking. "Good. Our apprentices match up, so that means we're all where we should be. "

With that, Nullpudding began walking towards the surface of lake Sciliora with Jura, Eiji, and Reedus by his side. He knelt down to the edge of the water with his back facing the Magical Alliance and spoke one last time. "From here on out, no one says a word unless you're spoken to by another mage. You all address the higher ups with respect unless you want to cause a scene; that includes me, Flare, and Salamander since he's disguised as Obra. Just like Salamander said, you follow whoever you're assigned to and wait for us to initiate the attack once we coordinate everything together."

Without giving anyone a chance to react, Nullpudding removed his metallic armband which exposed his black Raven Tail Guild mark. He slowly inserted his entire arm into the lake which submerged it under water. His guild mark began to glow an ominous color which caused the water around it to glisten in response.

Right as Nullpudding's guild mark stopped glowing, an audible voice was projected from the surface of the lake towards the Magical Alliance "Nullpudding…? Flare…? What the hell are all of you doing up there?" A man's voice spoke out loud.

Nullpudding removed his hand from the water, stood up, and cursed at the voice projecting from the lake. "Shut the hell up and let us in. We had to go back to the guild hall in Clover Town to get some of Alexei's files, but we ran into those Fairy Flies and they got to them before we could. Those files would have led them to our guild if we didn't stop them in time. We were able to do it, but we're all out of magic potential now so we couldn't teleport back." Nullpudding then reached into his cloak and pulled out a folder containing Alexei's files and held it in the air. He then pocketed it when the other man began to speak.

"Uhh… Yeah! Sure thing boss. I'll let you in so you guys can rest up." The man's voice paused reveal the entrance to the guild. Two large metallic walls which vertically stretched to the center of the lake surfaced above the water. They parted ways which cleared the water on both sides and revealed a long pathway leading to the sealed entrance of the guild.

"You still there?" Nullpudding barked out loud while he walked with the rest of the Magical Alliance through the ground of the lake and towards the guild's entrance which began to open.

"Yes sir! What can I help you with?"

"Contact Alexei and tell him to meet me in his office. Tell him that I need to talk to him about something that came up with Kurohebi and his apprentices." Nullpudding spoke again.

"Don't tell me… Did that idiot get his only two apprentices sick-?"

"Just shut the hell up and get me Alexei already!" Nullpudding snapped.

"There's no need to sir! I was about to tell you guys that Alexei's already in his office. He's been trying to get ahold of Kurohebi for the past day, so I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that you know what's up with him." The man finished while his voice died back down into the lake.

Nullpudding smirked to himself and spoke out loud to the Magical Alliance. "That was easy."

After a few seconds passed, Nullpudding and Flare led everyone through the entrance of the guild which consisted of two massive sliding gates composed of steel. The entrance fully closed behind them while the sound of rushing water began taking its place in the background. The Magical Alliance was led into a small room with a man perched on top of a large platform to the left of them which consisted of glass windows. The man held up his hand towards the group and spoke out loud. "You guys know the drill. You still have to pass through here so we can make sure you're fully adjusted to the guild's pressure: even if you finally used the entrance for once." The man sarcastically said while pushing a button to his side.

" **HHHIIIISSSSS!** " The sound of the air pressure made while it was released.

The man then pushed the button again which opened up another pair of sealed doors ahead of them. "Thanks for waiting boss! Alexei's in his office, just as I told you!"

Nullpudding held up his hand in response before he continued leading everyone into the main guild hall.

There was only one massive hallway stretched out in front. Nullpudding continued to lead everyone down it for another minute until they noticed that it split into multiple sections. One hallway split to the left which was sloped downwards leading into the guild. The other was split towards the right and continued on the main level. The final hallway was positioned in the middle and consisted of a spiral staircase.

Nullpudding and Flare turned to each other, nodded, and split up from the group without saying a word. Nullpudding led his disguised apprentices up the middle towards the spiral staircase which merged with Alexei's office at the very top. Flare went towards the right with her disguised apprentices towards the mess hall which left Natsu and the disguised Trimens standing in the middle.

Natsu immediately thought of the map that Hibiki transferred to him last night which caused it to project in front of him. He smiled to himself while his eyes scanned the holographic projection. " _Perfect. It says that if we go this way, we'll end up at the entrance for where they keep the cells."_ He smiled to himself when he remembered no one else could see it. He then guided Obra's puppet and the rest of the Trimens to the left pathway which sloped down further into the ominous guild hall.

* * *

Every step that Nullpudding took up the spiral staircase caused him to tense up slightly. There was no turning back now. The only sound throughout the stairwell were their footsteps approaching the office door at the top.

After a few minutes of walking, the staircase began to level out and merge with the top floor. Nullpudding led his disguised apprentices onto the top floor of the guild which consisted of a small hallway with an elaborate door at the end. The small hallway was littered with torches that began to light up with every step that Nullpudding and his disguised apprentices took towards the office door.

Since Jura didn't have a Lacrima with him, he held two of his fingers to his temples and used Telepathy to communicate between the group. " _I assume we're approaching Alexei's office?_ " The man professionally thought when he noticed the torches beginning to light up.

Nullpudding nodded in response while approaching the door. He took a deep breath and began to reach for the doorknob. " _Yeah… Remember what I said. Let me do the talking, and don't speak unless he says something to you-"_

Just as Nullpudding reached out to open the door and finish communicating with his group through Jura's Telepathy, the door to the office swung open on its own and revealed a man sitting behind a wooden desk. The man was wearing armor that gave him the appearance of a medieval knight while his back was covered by a dark cape cascading over his shoulders. His identity was concealed by a triangular mask forming a trident like appearance.

The man's dominant hand was extended towards the door which signified that he used his magic for the door to open by itself.

Jura and Nullpudding immediately recognized the armored man's identity and revealed it to Eiji and Reedus through Jura's Telepathy. " _ **Alexei…**_ " The two of them muttered while regaining their composure from the door flying open. Nullpudding then led the entire group into Alexei's office.

Alexei groaned in frustration and lowered his dominant hand to bang his desk in anger. " **Clank!** " The sound of his metallic gauntlet made while striking his desk. This startled Nullpudding and his disguised apprentices and caused them to shiver in surprise: especially Nullpudding considering this was the closest he's seen Alexei let his emotions conflict with his composure.

Before the situation could escalate, Nullpudding approached Alexei's desk and began to speak to him. "Master Alexei. I have some urgent news to notify you about; it has to do with Kurohebi."

"FINALLY! Someone in this guild hall knows where that idiot is. I honestly can't say I was the happiest to see you considering I was expecting Kurohebi to be standing at the door, but at least you know where he is. I saw him come back to the guild hall with Kagura yesterday, but I have no idea where he ran off after that."

Reedus began to ball his hand into a fist when he heard Alexei say Kagura's name. He had to restrain himself to not jump over Alexei's desk and lash out at him.

"Sir…?" Nullpudding paused to reach into his cloak for Alexei's files. He then pulled the folder out and slid it across Alexei's desk. "Kurohebi killed himself so he could transport me, Flare, and Obra back to our guild hall in Clover Town. He went back because he realized that he forgot to make sure that your files were also burned with the rest of Raven Tail's evidence. When he got there, the Magical Alliance had already got ahold of them. He knew that he couldn't stop them by himself, so instead of facing your punishment, he killed himself so his apprentices could use his magic potential to transport us to the guild hall. We ended up stopping the Magical Alliance… But we had no way of knowing that Kurohebi planned to kill himself." Nullpudding grew somber when he was forced to remember what happened to Kurohebi. The rest of his disguised apprentices lowered their heads to make it seem as if they were mourning in silence.

Nullpudding and his disguised apprentices could only watch as Alexei got up from his seat, turned his back to them, and stared blankly out of the slits of his mask towards the concrete wall behind his desk. The whole time he stood in silence.

Nullpudding reluctantly walked towards the desk to act like he was going to properly dispose of the files. He tried to make as little noise as possible so he didn't disturb the silence that Alexie was left to. Despite his effort, Alexei could clearly hear the short man approaching his desk from behind. Right as Nullpudding reached across to grab the files, Alexei turned around and psychotically backhanded Nullpudding with his gauntlet. The short man rag dolled across the stone floor and into a bookshelf that lined the sidewall of the office. This caused all the books to fall off the shelf and pie on top of him.

The three of Nullpudding's disguised mages turned to bolt towards where the short man was buried to see if he was alright, but they were all stopped by Alexei before they could react. "Leave him." Alexei coldly snapped towards the apprentices while awaiting to see if he could spot any movement from the pile of books. "If you're still conscious down there, why would Kurohebi teleport you guys to the guild hall in Clover Town if you didn't know he was going to do that that as a last resort? Don't act like you didn't discuss this with Kurohebi before he left. Even though you knew the risks he was taking by returning to the guild hall, you still let him go by himself. If you truly cared about recovering my files, then you would have taken Flare, Obra, and their apprentices to go with him. That's what would have prevented Kurohebi from killing himself. Know that your lack of judgment is the reason I have to find a mage competent enough to replace Kurohebi. From this point on, your position as one of my Elite mages ends. Say your goodbyes to your apprentices, because you're not going to be seeing them once you've joined Kagura and the other prisoners as a part of Raven Tail's Lacrima experimentation."

" _Damnit. Alexei's completely lost it. He doesn't give a damn about Kurohebi, so I can't mean much to him at this point. Flare and Salamander better be ready before Alexei kills one of us."_ Nullpudding gritted to himself while slowly rustling beneath the pile of books.

Just as he was about to reach into his pocket to use the Lacrima to initiate Telepathy between Flare and Natsu, he coincidentally heard Natsu's voice project into his thoughts. " _This is Natsu who's using his Lacrima. We have access to the cells, and we're beginning to search for Kagura and the rest of the mages being experimented on. Nullpudding can begin the attack if Flare is ready on his go."_

Flare was the first to respond which gave Nullpudding some time to regain his bearings. " _This is Flare who's using her Lacrima._ _We're in position inside the mess hall and there's definitely peak traffic right now. Nullpudding can begin the attack once we hear back from his Lacrima."_

Nullpudding smirked once he realized that everyone was in position. He slowly began to rise out from the pile of books and staggered towards where his disguised apprentices were. Once he fully regained his composure, he responded to Natsu's Lacrima Telepathy by inserting his hand into his cloak and touching the Lacrima. " _This is Nullpudding who's using his Lacrima. We're in position inside Alexei's office. I have to say, Salamander contacted us just in time. I think I've had enough of Alexei's antics here; Flare and her disguised apprentices won't have a problem knowing when to begin clearing out the guild hall."_ He threatened while ending the Lacrima Telepathy.

"Are… Are you alright?" Eiji spoke in fear when he noticed that Nullpudding's attire was completely torn up. Everyone was so shocked with how Alexei struck Nullpudding that they didn't even notice that Eiji spoke despite Nullpudding telling him not to.

Nullpudding kept on smirking and positioned himself in the middle of his group. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. It's Alexei who should be worried right now."

Alexei held up his dominant hand towards the mages and spoke. "I'd watch who you threaten if I were you. You're treading on very thin ice right now."

Nullpudding ignored him and began to speak towards Alexei. "The way you reacted to Kurohebi's death proves you don't give a damn about what happens to any of us. You promised us a comfortable lifestyle without any instability, but did you ever consider that Kurohebi wanted that also?"

"Kurohebi is dead. That shouldn't matter anymore."

Nullpudding scoffed at this. "All you care about is finding a replacement. You didn't care for a second that one of your Elite mages passed away, you only care about yourself. Alexei, you're the smartest and most powerful mage I know, there's no denying that… But Kurohebi's suicide proves that you don't earn your guild mates through respect; you earn them through fear. You're the reason why Kurohebi killed himself: not because of me, or anyone else in this damn guild. He killed himself because he didn't want to face your alternative of the Magical Alliance finding our headquarters."

"Kurohebi knew what he signed up for with becoming one of my Elite mages. If you're so distraught with him being killed, then you should have thought twice before sending him to his grave by himself. I'd watch who you accuse!" Alexei spat while flaring up his Dark magic in his extended hand.

"You're wrong. Kurohebi knew that if your files were missing by the time he got to Clover Town, that would mean the Magical Alliance would have gotten ahold of them. Those files were the only way someone could find Raven Tail's headquarters, which means it would trace back to Kurohebi not destroying them. He never expected for the Magical Alliance to still be there by the time he returned, so he also used his suicide as an opportunity to teleport us there to stop the Magical Alliance. WE never expected the Magical Alliance to be there either, but we knew that we had to stop them out of fear we'd end up like Kurohebi. It doesn't matter what happened in the end, because you would have still lashed out at us from Kurohebi committing suicide. If he was still alive, he would have been the one responsible for the Magical Alliance finding our headquarters since he wouldn't have been able to teleport us… And all you care about is a replacement."

Nullpudding stopped speaking for the last time. He turned his head towards each of his disguised apprentices and nodded towards them signaling it was time to take down Alexei. The entire group braced their bodies for Alexei to lash out at Nullpudding while mentally preparing themselves to take Alexei down.

Alexei clenched his lowered fist while responding to the group. "How I enforce my guild's structure is to preserve our secrecy, and Kurohebi's death was the price that had to be paid for Raven Tail to achieve the power we desire. That's the only way for us to fulfill our ultimate goal. If Kurohebi meant that much to you, WHY DON'T YOU ALL JOIN HIM!" He finished flaring up his Dark magic. All of the darkness that surrounded his body was transferred to his extended hand which formed a bulging orb of darkness it. " _ **DARKNESS SHATTER!**_ " He roared while launching the eerie orb towards the group in anger.

What Alexei wasn't expecting was for one of Nullpudding's apprentices to extend both their hands outwards, lift their palms from the ground, and conjure a giant rock wall in front of the orb's arced trajectory. " **SSSSShhhhiiii- DOOOOM!** " The sound of the black orb resounded throughout the entire Raven Tail Guild hall as it obliterated the wall. Shrapnel made of darkness tore into the walls of the office and caused Nullpudding and his disguised apprentices to shield their faces.

A massive cloud of cobblestone and dust was kicked up which blinded Alexei's vision. After a few seconds passed, the cloud fully dissipated which caused his eyes to widen when he realized what created the wall that stopped his attack.

None of Nullpudding's apprentices had their disguises on. This revealed Jura who was standing Triumphantly in front of Nullpudding and the rest of the mages in his group. He was ready to activate another round of defensive spells to defend the group from Alexei's attacks.

Alexei was so surprised when he saw the Magical Alliance disguised as Nullpudding's apprentices that he couldn't even follow up with another attack. " _Nullpudding just told me that he took care of those Flies! Why isn't he fazed by them being here right now?_ " Even though he knew the Magical Alliance was a threat to Raven Tail, an even bigger realization dawned upon him when he realized the Magical Alliance wasn't attacking Nullpudding. This caused him to angle his head downwards in anger. "You traitorous scum. You didn't stop the Magical Alliance. You led those Flies here as a part of their plan… Didn't you?" He directed his attention towards Nullpudding.

Nullpudding silently nodded in response without any regret now that he knew the type of person Alexei was.

Before the rest of the group could attack Alexei, the armored man slowly extended his hand outwards towards Nullpudding's group. This caused the mages to prepare themselves for a counterattack.

Instead of Alexei firing another attack towards them, he quickly angled his hand towards his desk and fired a small burst of Dark magic towards the bottom. The magic rebounded against the floor and destroyed a hidden button on the underside of his desk. A loud siren began to piece throughout the guild hall which he coupled with his voice. "THIS IS ALEXEI! WE HAVE A BREAK IN. DON'T TRUST ANY OF THE HIGHER UP APPRENTICES." He yelled at the top of his lungs before his sound projection abruptly cut out.

After yelling out loud, Alexei raised his head to face the Magical Alliance and noticed that they all had confident smirks on their faces. Eiji stepped forward and spoke towards the armored man for the rest of them. "Do you honestly think we would have revealed ourselves to you if the rest of the Magical Alliance wasn't already in position?" He then reached into his sport coat's pocket and casually pulled out one of his Holy scriptures in preparation for the fight.

Eiji's confidence caused Alexei to clench his fists and retort. "I see that the infamous Exorcist decided to join the Magical Alliance. I assume that they needed your magic as a last resort to save your precious Guild Master? Either way, it's not like it matters in the end because it wasn't enough to save him. Otherwise, he would be fighting me for a rematch instead of you being here to exact vengeance from me killing him. Let this be a lesson that you can learn from Salamander's reckless stunt; not even Holy light can smother endless Darkness." He stopped speaking to activate another spell. He held both of his hands in front of him while the entire room began to darken in preparation for his attack.

Eiji scoffed at what Ivan said. He noticed that the room was darkening and opened his Holy scripture. "Master Natsu is nothing like you just assumed. There's a more important person that matters to him right now over having a rematch with you, and that person is Kagura."

"No… My experiment," Alexei gritted his teeth in frustration, "If something happens to my Lacrimas when I'm done killing you, then none of those other Flies are leaving here alive! Prepare for your Holy Light to be smothered by endless Darkness!" He roared while a black magic circle formed beneath the part of the office that Nullpudding's group was standing on. Their entire surroundings blackened while beams of Dark magic slowly began to pierce through the rubble surrounding them.

Jura jumped next to Eiji while speaking above the howling beams. "GET BACK EIJI. I'LL TRY AND BLOCK THE ATTACK WITH MY MAGIC!"

"There's no need to." Eiji spoke while directing his attention towards Alexei. He spoke with such a startingly calm tone that Jura slowly stepped back to allow Eiji to continue speaking "As for you saying that endless Darkness will always smother Holy light, you're sadly mistaken. The Light lives in all places and in all things. You can block it and even try to trap it, but the Light will always find its way." He finished by shutting his Holy scripture closed.

" **Thud…** " The sound of the book made while Eiji shut it. This caused a sharp white light to be emitted from where Alexei was standing.

Alexei slowly lowered his head to the floor to see what was causing the brightness. He noticed that Eiji had enough time to create a massive pentagram beneath him. He bolted his head upwards and tried to counter with his Dark spell when he realized that Eiji's Holy scripture would activate the pentagram. "NO! YOU WERE ACTIVATING A MAGIC CIRCLE THE ENTIRE-" Alexei never got the chance to find a way to counter. The pentagram began to glow a blinding white before a column of Holy Demon Slayer magic erupted from the pentagram and encased Alexei.

" **SSSHHhhheeeewwww…"** The sound of the pentagram made while it emitted the harsh column of light glistening throughout Alexei's body. The attack was so bright and powerful that it made enough noise to mask Alexei's screams from inside of it. Eiji was the only mage a part of Nullpudding's group who could look towards the center of the attack without being blinded.

Half a minute went by before the massive column of Holy Demon Slayer magic began to slowly dissipate into the air. The pentagram on the ground engraved a white light into the floor which continued to glisten because of how powerful Eiji's spell was. Nullpudding and the rest of the mages began to reluctantly lift their heads when they heard Eiji's spell end. They noticed that the Demon Slayer was confidently towering across from Alexei kneeling inside of the white pentagram.

Alexei's armor was badly dented and corroded due to the Holy magic that engulfed him. Even though no one could see his skin tone, it turned a ghostly pale from the Holy magic coursing throughout his body. He forced himself to stagger to his feet and flared up his magic in response to Eiji's Holy spell. He spoke through labored breaths while a massive aura of Dark magic began to radiate from around him. "Now… I'm pissed," Alexei muttered while his Dark aura began to empower him, "If you think your Holy magic can take me down without a fight, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING TO YOU!" He roared while beginning to restart his last attack. Once his Dark aura restored his energy, he extended his arms and formed another black magic circle beneath Nullpudding's group. This caused the room to darken again while rays of Dark magic began to protrude through the floor.

Nullpudding's group then took an offensive stance in preparation for Alexei to unleash his attack. Eiji hesitated slightly before joining them because he felt Alexei's Dark magic begin to smother his Holy light. "This guy's psychotic. I can barely see a thing in this room now that he's draining the light from it. I've never seen a Dark mage with this much magic potential. It's like he used his Dark magic to shrug off my Holy Light like it was nothing." The Demon Slayer said out loud.

"No way," Nullpudding disagreed in shock, "I've never seen Alexei lose his cool in a fight. That Holy Demon Slayer spell of yours definitely packed some power behind it if he already had to use his Dark magic to replenish his energy. You did good Exorcist, but Alexei is right about one thing. Your Holy magic isn't strong enough to take him down with one spell." He finished by gesturing to the room which they could barely see in.

Jura nodded and reassured Eiji. "Nullpudding is right. Even though you're strong enough to take him down yourself, there's no need to put yourself in a dangerous situation like that. We're in this together. Don't forget that…"

Just as Jura finished speaking, the rest of the office darkened completely. Now that they couldn't see anything, Nullpudding's mages backed up and bumped into each other with their backs in preparation for Alexei's spell.

Since he was a Dark mage, Alexei was the only one who could see in the room. He uttered one spell before using the cover of Darkness to begin his onslaught. " **Darkness Dimension** : _**Phantom Attack**_ …"

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	21. Chapter 21 - Promises

**Author's Note:** Here it is; this arc will officially end next chapter. I know that I keep extending the arc's length, but that's just how I write. Since I like to use lots of description, that sometimes means having to extend the arc by a couple thousand words to compensate. I planned on the next arc being much large than this one before the second timeskip, but the more I look at my draft notes, I don't think that's going to be the case. The next arc is definitely going to be suspenseful and filled with much more adventure, and I might even start it next chapter by ending it with a cliffhanger. Just remember, all the dialogue concerning the self-doubt is important.

Once again, I can't thank you all enough for your continued support. Each review that's posted to this Fanfiction continues to bring a smile to my face, and I'm glad that you're enjoying it just as much as me. With that being said, I'll see you guys around!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 21: Promises**

A massive wave of phantoms began to close in on the group's location. Because the room was completely dark, none of the mages in Nullpudding's group had any way of determining where Alexei positioned himself or where his attack was being generated from.

" **AAAAAaaaarrrrrggghhhh! AAAaaaaarrrrggghhhhh!** " Nullpudding's group heard the sound snarling in the distance. This caused them to dart their heads upwards to see if they could identify the threat. Even though the darkens made it impossible for them to make out the size and shape of the phantoms, their eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and watched as the dozens of red, glowing eyes plunged towards them in every direction.

None of the mages in Nullpudding's group had time to verbally respond. Eiji meshed his hands together in front of him and slowly parted his palms which caused a blinding light to form inside. The more his palms parted, the more his Holy light began to rage freely. " _ **Holy Devil's Sacred Oversoul**_!" Eiji chanted while a white magic circle in the shape of a pentagram began to form beneath him.

Eiji's magic circle caused his blinding light to incinerate Alexei's closest phantoms in a flurry of Holy magic, but the sheer amount of phantoms began to overwhelm Eiji's attack which forced his Holy light to slowly dim back into his hands. Once his magic circle disappeared, the remaining phantoms used that to their advantage and overpowered the the group by closing in before anyone could recover from Eiji's spell.

One by one, the phantoms took turns by lashing out at the members of the Magical Alliance.

"DAMMIT! I CAN'T SEE ANY OF THEM!" Nullpudding roared in rage while the phantoms attacked him.

"Oui! Nullpudding's right! If Jura can hear me, are you able to use your Earth magic to protect us so we can have some time to counter?" He frantically yelled while trying to bat the phantoms away with Archenemy's scabbard. Now that the group's disguises were gone, Archenemy had returned to his hands.

Jura began to take a defensive stance in an attempt to protect the group from the onslaught. Just before Jura could activate his spell, one of the phantoms attacked his abdomen and completely knocked the wind out of the massive man which caused him to wheeze in pain. Before he could react, a group of phantoms held him down against the office floor and continued their onslaught on the rest of Nullpudding's group.

"Aaarrgghhhhh." Eiji calmly grunted at the phantoms now focusing their attacks on him. The Devil Slayer noticed that Jura wasn't responding to Reedus. He kept his calm persona and spoke to Reedus when he noticed the phantoms increase their attacks. "Reedus? I just heard some of the phantoms starting to overwhelm Jura. Now that they don't have to worry about him, they're starting to focus their attacks on us. I'm going to need your help to stop these phantoms before something happens to Jura."

"Oui! What do you need me to do?" Reedus frantically agreed.

"I need you to use you magic and sketch some type of protection for me. I know it's not going to be easy without light, but I can't use my Holy magic to illuminate the room. If I try to use my spells, these phantoms are just going to end up overpowering my Holy light."

Without hesitation, Reedus fastened Archenemy to his hip and reached into his vest to pull out a Light pen. He knew that he couldn't draw a complex image without a source of light, so he chose to draw a simple sketch on his stomach instead. The barrage of phantoms attacking him only added to the distractions he had to endure. He gritted his teeth in pain and began to draw a simple stick figure of Eiji surrounded by multiple pillows.

After a few seconds, a small cloud of dust surrounded Eiji which caused the phantoms to momentarily stop attacking him. The cloud of dust slowly dissipated into the darkness which revealed Eiji protected by multiple layers of pillows.

The phantoms immediately charged the pillows around Eiji and began to tear them up without hesitation. Each pillow that the phantoms destroyed revealed more and more of Eiji's figure towards the center.

The phantoms destroyed the final layers of protection around Eiji and prepared to plunge towards him without remorse. Just before they could finish their onslaught on the Devil Slayer, Eiji's body began to slowly levitate into the air around the phantoms while his eyes began to glow a ghostly white. He curled himself into a fetal position which caused another blinding light to form at the center of his body. " _ **HOLY DEVIL'S RUPTURE**_!" He managed to activate his offensive spell by roaring above the phantoms attacking everyone. He uncurled his body and broke free of his fetal position which caused a massive explosion of Holy light to eject from the center of his body.

The explosion of Holy magic traveled passed all the phantoms from Alexei's attacks which caused them to dissipate into bursts of Holy light. Once the spell ended, Eiji's eyes stopped glowing while he dropped himself to the floor to rejoin the rest of his group members.

Jura slowly raised himself from the floor that he was pinned against while Reedus and Nullpudding cautiously lowered their defensive stances once they realized that Eiji ended Alexei's spell. "That was very impressive Eiji. Those phantoms nearly took me out of the fight." The Earth mage complemented Eiji out loud.

All of them were so relieved that Eiji was able to counter the phantoms that they completely forgot that Alexei was using the cover of the darkness to activate his spells. Before Eiji had the chance to respond to Jura's complement, the entire group heard Alexei activate another spell. " _ **Darkness Rend.**_ " The armored mage maniacally spat from behind them.

A powerful surge of darkness was shot from the palm of Alexei's hand towards the back of Nullpudding's group. His spell struck the back of the mages which caused them to reflexively wince in pain.

Alexei jumped into the air and followed up with an aerial attack before any of them could regain their bearings. He extended his arms over his head and formed a raging storm of darkness in his hands. " _ **Darkness Gale!**_ " Alexei yelled above the stunned mages. He brought both his hands down from over his head which caused the storm of darkness to travel towards them.

The spell traveled through the air at a blinding speed and impacted the mages which surrounded them with winds of darkness that ripped at their bodies.

Nullpudding frantically shielded his face from the darkness that was slowly beginning to shred his skin. "We're all punching bags for Alexei unless we can find a way to see him! If you can hear me Exorcist, use your Holy magic to light up the room so the rest of us can land an attack on him!"

Eiji retorted by calling out over the storm. "You saw how easily those phantoms overpowered my first spell! The darkness in this room is draining me of my Holy light. I can light up the room so we can see Alexei if you want, but I'm going to run out of my magic potential. It'll be up to you three to take him down!"

Jura shook his head and responded to the duo. "We're going to need all the help we can get if we want to take down Alexei! I'll force him to cancel his spells. Just make sure you're all ready to counterattack once the darkness is cleared! Now that those phantoms aren't pinning me down, I don't have to hold back anymore." The Earth mage then smirked to himself while kneeling while kneeling into the storm of darkness. This caused a golden magic circle began to form on the floor the entire office. " _ **Iron Rock Shockwave!**_ " Jura roared over the chaos. Without another word, he punched the ground with as much strength as he could muster which caused an ear shattering explosion to resound throughout the office. Pillars of earth erupted in a circular formation from the center of the magic circle. The pillars jetted outwards and violently slammed against the ceiling. The wave continued to move away from the center until the group heard the sound of metal being crushed against the ceiling.

" **Clang…** " The sound of Alexei's body was heard being forced against the ceiling by one of the pillars.

The darkness that encased the entire office slowly began to dissipate and was replaced by the normal lighting in the background.

Jura stood up from the ground and rose to where the rest of the group was standing. Nullpudding, Eiji, and Reedus marveled in awe when they saw that the entire office floor was shredded from the pillars of earth erupting from below. They diverted their attention to a lone pillar towering behind the office's desk which was pressed against the cracked ceiling. The pillar slowly began to separate itself from the ceiling which caused pieces of rubble to fall from above. Jura clenched his fist and crushed the remainder of the pillar into pieces before it got the chance to merge into the ground. Alexei fell with the broken pillar and landed on top of the rubble piling up on the floor of the office.

Nullpudding's group slowly inched towards Alexei's motionless body lying on top of Jura's rubble. Right as the group approached the front of the desk, an aura of darkness began to seep out of Alexei's armor. Alexei's body began to stir slightly while the dark aura began to lift him out of the rubble.

Alexei levitated above the office while the aura of darkness continued to surround him.

Jura's eyes widened at the amount of magical potential Alexei was flaring up through his battered armor. "I can't believe how much magical potential he still has. It's almost as if he's been holding back this entire time. We have to take him down before he overwhelms us again."

The rest of the mages nodded in agreement while taking an offensive stance. Just before they could begin counterattacking with their spells, Alexei extended his dominant hand outwards and fired an enormous beam of Dark magic towards the four mages. All of them dove out of the way and scrambled to escape the beam which Alexei continued to drag around the office. The beam left a searing path of destruction that would have instantly killed anyone standing in its wake.

Alexei momentarily stopped firing the continuous beam to marvel at his destruction and survey any carnage. Reedus frantically looked around the office to see if all the mages were still alive. When he noticed everyone scattered on the ground from avoiding the attack, he diverted his attention towards Jura and yelled at him from across the office. "I don't understand how a mage can be this powerful after the fight we just put up. Nullpudding told us not to take him lightly, but Alexei's gone completely psychotic!"

Jura responded to the Pict mage. "You have a point. The behavior and magical potential emanating from him is nothing compared to what it was when we started fighting. It's way too chaotic, aggressive, and it feels as though Alexei was somehow able to hide his true power all along. I've got a bad feeling about this." Jura grimly finished.

Before anyone else could respond to the duo, they were interrupted by a demonic voice speaking from inside Alexei's armor. " **Hahahaha… I would have never expected for you flies to be able to draw out my true form. Not that it matters though, since you're the last people that are ever going to be strong enough to witness it. This is what the heart of Raven Tail looks like. Take a long look, because you're the last people who are ever going to stand in its presence."** The voice satanically spoke while gesturing to Alexei's armor which erupted in a plume of Darkness.

All the mages flinched at the demonic voice that loomed over them. It was void of emotion and completely different from Alexei's tone.

Eiji's eyes narrowed when he heard recognized the demonic voice speak. The Devil slayer slowly stood up and spoke towards Alexei's body. "That voice. I've read about it in my Holy scriptures, and Jura suggested how you're not acting like yourself," He paused to direct his attention to the aura of Darkness surrounding Alexei's body, "We aren't fighting Alexei anymore… We're fighting the physical form of Darkness itself. You're using Alexei's body to transfer your thoughts and power as an extension of what Alexei desires."

" **Exorcist is correct. The presence of Darkness looms in every corner of Fiore, but this is my most powerful form. I can act by myself no more than light can act without a wielder, and for those reasons, it is impossible to have one without the other. Even if every wielder of Darkness was exterminated from Earthland, my thoughts would still plague this world until I find a new wielder to begin spreading my presence again. The same applies for the Light; the Light chooses to remain dormant and resides within any mage that uses their magic for good. That includes all of you."**

Eiji scoffed at what the Darkness told him. "You don't think I already know all of this? Studying Dark magic is my specialty. Similar to how Grimoire Heart housed Master Hades's source of power using Devil's Heart, Alexei houses Raven Tail's most powerful weapon as you: the Darkness. Somehow… Alexei is able to tap into your power whenever he's on the brink of death or is in desperate need of it. I just can't understand how he can live with so much negativity and hatred towards his enemies just to gain your unfathomable power."

The Darkness began transferring part of its aura into Alexei's which he extended towards Eiji. He finished speaking to him while preparing to unleash another beam of Dark magic. **"In the case of Alexei, he was once guided on the path of Light many years ago as a part of a Legal Guild. That ended when he realized he couldn't secure the life of comfort he envisioned. His thoughts became plans, his plans became actions, and his actions plummeted him into Darkness. This is why Alexei wields my true form. And don't act like you don't know of a mage who was ready to fall into Darkness because of her hatred towards an enemy. Last time Alexei checked, Kagura was ready to kill Jellal if it meant avenging her brother. With Alexei's Lacrima experiments, we can birth an army of unstoppable mages to carry out my wishes! That includes taking down Fairy Tail to secure a world where Raven Tail thrives!"**

Nullpudding insulted Darkness out loud which caused Jura and Reedus to turn a ghostly pale. "Bullshit! I have nothing to lose at this point, so I can damn well say that Kagura is nothing like Alexei! From what I overheard, she joined Fairy Tail to help her overcome her brother's death. Her hatred towards Jellal is fueled by the amount of love that was taken from her, not because she ever tried to embrace your power to help her-"

Nullpudding never got the chance to finish defending Kagura. The Darkness surrounding Alexei's body finished charging its beam. Eiji prepared himself to dodge the attack and retaliate, but instead of the beam being fired towards him, the Darkness angled it towards Nullpudding and released it towards the short man's body at the last moment.

Nullpudding had no time to react at the attack being directed from Alexei's hovering body. The beam turned the entire room a pitch black color once it struck him. A massive shockwave was generated throughout the office which caused all the other group members to reflexively reel in shock.

After a few seconds of the beam continuously firing towards Nullpudding's location, the lighting in the room slowly restored to its original state which revealed him sprawled on his side with his back facing the rest of the mages. The entire area around him was destroyed in a wake of Dark magic.

The other mages could only watch in horror as they noticed that Nullpudding's attire was torn to pieces while he remained completely motionless.

A few moments of disbelief passed before the Darkness snapped everyone else out of their daze. " **I'm surprised his body is still intact. Suffice to say, I've always wanted to do that. Alexei's Elite mages pissed me off: acting all high and mighty because they had apprentices. It's time that traitor learned his place by joining Kurohebi."**

Eiji didn't bother checking on Nullpudding's condition. He knew what an attack like that would have done to a mage's body. Eiji lowered his head in grief and flared up his Holy magic. His eyes glowed a ghostly white while he began speaking. "You are going to regret doing that. I will be damned if the words of Nullpudding go unnoticed." Eiji finished speaking while his body began to levitate to Alexei's level.

" **I'd like to see you try! Show me your power… Magical Alliance!"**

Jura and Reedus had looks of rage on their faces. Right as Eiji began to levitate into the air, they broke off from each other with intent to avenge Nullpudding.

Jura was the first to begin the attack once Reedus split up from him. "Get in there Eiji! I'll provide you with support. _**Iron Rock Armor!**_ " Jura finished by chanting. He took a defensive stance which caused a golden magic circle to form over the floor Eiji was levitating above. Jura meshed his hands together which caused large boulders to erupt from the ground. The boulders broke apart into several smaller pieces and flew towards where Eiji was hovering. The pieces of boulder smashed together around him and created a set of rock armor.

Eiji listened to Jura's commands and hovered over to where Alexei's body was levitating while the rock armor surrounded him. He encased his armored fists in Holy light while entering close combat distance. Each punch he threw towards caused a small portion of the darkness to dissipate from Alexei's metallic armor.

Jura then began to flank on the opposite side of Reedus so at least one of them could get a clear attack off.

The Darkness responded to Eiji's onslaught by flaring up towards Alexei's gauntlets. It began retaliating with its own punches using as much power as possible. This caused massive cracks to begin forming in the rock armor around Eiji.

Jura and Reedus weren't even in position when they began to hear Eiji's armor start to crack. "Reedus? Eiji's armor is about to break! We need to attack while the Darkness is distracted. We'll be able to buy Eiji some time to recover."

Reedus nodded and immediately began to activate a spell. " _ **Nature, Run Wild!**_ " He chanted while he drew multicolored boars on his stomach. A stampede of boars were projected from the magic circle on his stomach and towards Alexei and the Darkness surrounding him.

Jura waited a few seconds right as the boars were in close combat distance of their target. Right as the boars were about to strike, Jura took a wide stance and pointed his index and middle finger towards Alexei's levitating body. " _ **Supreme King Rock Crush!**_ " He bellowed over the chaos.

The rocks composing Eiji's armor immediately flew off him and combined with the rubble scattered around the office to form stones. Right as the Darkness was going to deliver another punch, the stones surrounded Alexei's body once Reedus's boars struck in the air.

The boars were bound inside the stones around Alexei which trapped the Darkness with the stampede. The squealing of boars was all that could be heard from inside Jura's spell.

As the squealing slowly began to grow silent over time, Eiji landed back to the ground. His eyes returned to their normal color while he awaited Jura to drop the stones crushing Alexei's levitating body. Just as the group thought they had finally trumped the Darkness, a massive rupture of Dark magic was released from inside Jura's spell. The stones surrounding Alexei's levitating body shattered into particles of rubble while the boars vanished in clouds of colored dust that covered the entire room.

After a few seconds, the cloud of dust fully dissipated and revealed the Darkness back on the floor in front of Eiji. Alexei's gauntlet triumphantly grabbed Eiji's throat and lifted him off the ground before the Devil Slayer could react. Jura and Reedus could only stand in disbelief at how easily the Darkness escaped one of Jura's most powerful spells.

" **Any last words?** " The Darkness threatened before Jura and Reedus could react. Eiji lowered his eyes and watched as the Darkness crept up Alexei's gauntlet and towards his body.

Eiji closed his eyes and anticipated the Darkness to attack his body and kill him at any moment, but a hoarse voice responded from the other side of the room which caused everyone to widen their eyes.

"Underestimating me is the last thing you should have done. You might be powerful, but you forgot that I'm also a Dark mage… Your attacks don't faze me as easy as you think… _**NEEDLE HORN.**_ " Nullpudding's voice roared while he launched a massive needle from his extended arm towards Alexei's mask.

The needle traveled to the air at a breakneck speed and impacted Alexei's mask which caused it to instantly shatter into golden shards.

The Darkness that was about to enter Eiji's body retreated back into Alexei's armor while it reflexively released its grasp from Eiji's throat.

Eiji staggered backwards to face Nullpudding who was heavily panting in pain and exhaustion. "Nullpudding… You're still alive, and you saved my life even when the Darkness could have killed you."

"Shut… Shut the hell up Exorcist… TAKE CARE OF THE DARKNESS BEFORE IT KILLS ALL OF US!" Nullpudding gestured towards where the Darkness reflexively released Eiji from Alexei's gauntlet.

All the mages diverted their attention to where the Darkness was controlling Alexei's body. The remnants of Alexei's mask were scattered across the floor, so they were able to view the Guild Master's face.

Even though the mages could see parts of his tanned skin, pompadour hairstyle, and chin curtain beard, most of his face was completely engulfed in the aura of the Darkness that was screaming in pain. " **NO… NO… NOOOOO! ALEXEI?! HELP ME CONTAIN MYSELF!** " The Darkness desperately pleaded. Since Alexei's mask was shattered, there was no way for the Darkness to contain itself inside Alexei's body. No matter how much the Darkness continued to beg in agony, Alexei had no control over himself; he couldn't use his magical potential and willpower to prevent the Darkness from escaping his unmasked face. The Darkness frantically flailed Alexei's arms in desperation to scoop itself back into his body while its black aura radiated onto the office's floor below.

Eiji agreed with Nullpudding's command and slowly began to approach Alexei's body while the Darkness continued to escape from the Guild Master's face. "Nullpudding's right. Without Alexei being able to control himself, he can't use his strength and magical potential to stop the Darkness from escaping from his face," Eiji paused to turn around and flash a confident grin towards Nullpudding, "We'll take it from here." After being reassured that he would be fine, Nullpudding collapsed back to the floor out of exhaustion.

Eiji turned back around and began to close in on the Darkness pouring out of Alexei's body. Jura and Reedus both followed his lead from the sides they initially attacked from.

The Darkness began to slowly step backwards because of how vulnerable it was to all of the other mages.

" _ **Iron Rock Wall!**_ " Jura activated his spell while he joined up with Eiji and Reedus. A massive wall of rock jetted from the ground across the entire office which prevented Alexei's body from stepping backwards.

Eiji reached into his sport coat's pocket and pulled out the Art of Vanquish. He opened the Holy scripture and began flipping its pages towards the middle which caused a white pentagram to form beneath where the Darkness was pressed up against the rock wall. Eiji meshed the Art of Vanquish in between his extended hands and slowly began to part them.

A blinding sphere of Holy light began to grow from Alexei's chest. The more Eiji parted his palms, the more the sphere grew in size. " _ **Holy Devil's Sacred Oversoul**_!" Eiji chanted while the white pentagram beneath Alexei's body began to glow. Eiji's spell caused the sphere of Holy light in front of the Darkness to bulge in size and incinerate Alexei's body in a flurry of Holy magic. The Darkness had to stop attempting to scoop itself back into Alexei's body in order to use Alexei's hands to cover itself from the Holy light in front of it. The rest of the mages reflexively diverted their gazes from the sphere's bright intensity.

" **AAAARRGGGHHHHH! YOU DAMN FLIES!** " The Darkness helplessly roared in rage.

After a few seconds, the pentagram beneath Alexei began to disappear while the sphere of Holy light dissipated back towards the center of Alexei's body. This was followed by Eiji pocketing the Art of Vanquish after his spell ended.

The mages reluctantly reverted their gazes back towards where the Darkness was standing. Jura and Reedus were left speechless when they realized that Eiji's spell had completely incinerated Jura's rock wall preventing the Darkness from backpedaling away from the attack.

Alexei was kneeling right in front of where he was initially standing. Through labored breaths, the Darkness slowly lifted Alexei's head up and fully revealed his face to the mages for the first time ever. Alexei's tanned skin was now a ghostly white from Eiji's Holy magic coursing throughout his body.

Jura and Reedus widened their eyes in surprise at finally being able to view Alexei's face without the Darkness completely surrounding him. The Darkness that was originally emanating from Alexei was reduced to a small aura that desperately clung to his body.

The Darkness gritted Alexei's teeth in frustration when it noticed that its power and magical potential was nearly smothered to nothingness. The Darkness slowly rose back to its feet and began surveying the other mages. When compared to it, the other mages had more than enough magic potential to take it down. Out of the corner of Alexei's eye, the Darkness noticed that Nullpudding was still lying on the floor in exhaustion. " **You… You did this to me. You did this to Raven Tail,** " The Darkness weakly spoke to Nullpudding, " **I'LL ERASE YOUR BODY FROM EXISTENCE!"** The Darkness croaked as loud as it could. It then transferred the rest of its Dark magic to Alexei's dominant hand which formed a bulging orb. _**DARKENSS SHATTER!**_ " The Darkness roared while launching the eerie orb towards Nullpudding.

" **Nature, Run Wild!** " Reedus immediately chanted while finishing the sketch of a stampede of boars on his stomach. A green magic circle formed in front of him and projected an array of colorful boars towards Nullpudding's body. The boars approached their target and nudged Nullpudding onto their backs before scattering back around towards the safety of the other mages.

" **SSShhiiii- DOOOOOMMMM**!" The sound of the Darkness's orb made while it impacted the area where Nullpudding was lying. The attack created an enormous dust cloud from the rubble scattered around the office.

When the rubble settled, the mages were triumphantly standing in front of Nullpudding's body while Reedus's boars continued to guard them. A massive crater was created into the foundation of the office where the Darkness's spell impacted the floor.

The Darkness was left in utter astonishment at how much magical potential the mages were still capable of using. Now that the Darkness used its remaining power in its final attack, its small aura around Alexei was further reduced to a fragile flicker.

Before the Darkness could react to its weakened state, Eiji's triumphant face turned to a cold glare when he realized that the Darkness attempted to kill Nullpudding even though he was completely defenseless. Eiji uttered two words with complete hostility before activating his spell. "You're done."

Eiji stepped forward to where the Darkness was standing and held out his right arm while gripping it with his left hand. He pointed his palm towards the Darkness residing in Alexei's face which caused a blinding sphere of Holy light to form in his palm. " _ **Holy Devil's Purging Strike!**_ " Eiji chanted his spell while firing the orb at a breakneck speed. Out of reflex, the Darkenss snapped itself out of its dazed trance and raised Alexei's arm towards his unmasked face in an attempt to block the incoming Holy spell. The sphere of Holy light completely obliterated Alexei's gauntlet while causing the Darkness in that area to vanish from Alexei's arm.

The force of the attack skidded Alexei's body backwards while causing the Darkness to reel in pain. " **AAAArrrgghhhh! That damn spell feels like I'm being crushed under Alexei's weight!"**

" _ **Holy Devil's Purging Strike!**_ " Eiji chanted again while gathering more surrounding light into a sphere in the palm of his hand. He then fired the spell a second time towards Alexei's face. The Darkness had no time to recover from the last attack and held up Alexei's other arm in a desperate attempt to block the sphere. Alexei's remaining gauntlet was shattered along with the rest of the damaged armor on his body which caused the aura of Darkness to vanish from those areas.

The force of the attack skidded Alexei's body closer towards where the rear wall of his office was standing. The Darkness only had enough time to stagger backwards in pain now that Alexei's armor was completely destroyed.

The only Darkness that remained was a dim flicker around the region of Alexei's face. The Darkness knew it couldn't afford to use any more of its magic or bare to block another spell considering the weakened state it was in, or else its aura would vanish along with Alexei's connection to tap into it at will. _**"Damn these flies… I can't keep up with that damn Exorcist. If I lose my connection to Alexei, then I won't be able to have another physical form until I can plague the thoughts of another mage who can wield my power-"**_ The Darkness's thoughts were interrupted before it could even decide on its next move.

" _ **Holy Devil's Purging Strike!**_ " Eiji snapped the Darkness out of its thoughts. The Devil Slayer chanted the same spell for the last time while another sphere of Holy light formed in the palm of his extended hand. This time, the sphere was large enough to engulf the entirety of Alexei's exposed body.

The Darkness noticed the massive sphere of Holy light in Eiji's palm and pressed Alexei's body up against the rear wall of the office. " _ **Damnit! There's no way in hell I'm just going to allow the years I spent founding Raven Tail with Alexei to be erased by these flies in a matter of hours. But… If I want to live to fight another day… I can't risk losing my connection to Alexei. There's only one thing to do.**_ " The Darkness thought to itself while gritting Alexei's teeth in frustration.

Without remorse, Eiji finally fired the massive sphere of Holy light at a breakneck speed towards Alexei's body.

During that time, Reedus stepped forward towards the Darkness while Jura guarded Nullpudding's body. Reedus immediately sketched multiple drawings of boars on his stomach. " _ **Nature, Run Wild!**_ " He activated his spell which caused a stampede of boars to project from a green magic circle in front of him. The boars closed in on the two sides of Alexei's body which prevented the Darkness from dodging Eiji's spell without being hit.

The Darkness saw the attacks closing in on Alexei's body and knew that it had to follow through with its split second decision. With that, the Darkness raised Alexei's exposed arm and snapped his fingers over his head. Alexei's body was engulfed in a wave of the Darkness which caused both of them to vanish from the room. They were gone.

All the mages widened their eyes in disbelief. Eiji clenched his extended palm which caused the orb of Holy light to dissipate into the air right before it struck the rear wall. Reedus edited the drawing on his stomach which caused his boars to explode in clouds of colored smoke. Once the smoke began to dissipate, the mages rushed towards where the Darkness had vanished to see if it just positioned Alexei's body around the room.

After a few seconds of silent gazes, Jura rubbed his temples in annoyance while he finished surveying the room. "It seems as if they managed to escape. I can't sense Alexei's magic potential anywhere."

Reedus turned around and slammed his fist against the remains of the desk in rage once he registered what Jura said. "PARDON MY LANGUAGE, BUT DAMMIT. We were so close to taking that bastard down and it barely manages to escape by the skin of its teeth." He insulted the Darkness.

Eiji walked up towards Reedus's back and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're looking at this wrong Reedus. The Darkness escaped because it realized we proved too much for it to handle. Thanks to Nullpudding destroying Alexei's mask, we all got a good look at his face and were able to gauge the type of magic he uses. Maybe you could draw a sketch of Alexei's face. That way, we can inform Mest about everything that happened when he gets here, and he'll be able to notify all of Fiore. There's not going to be a mage in existence that will continue to support Alexei's Lacrima experimentation once everyone finds out the type of scum he is. He uses his guild mates for the benefit of him and the Darkness: not anyone else."

Jura interrupted the duo by gesturing back towards the middle of the office. "Speaking of Nullpudding, I think it would be in our best interest to check on his condition. We can talk more about this later."

The three mages immediately hurdled over the broken desk and bolted towards Nullpudding once they were reminded of him. Jura slid towards Nullpudding's motionless body and lowered himself to check his consciousness.

After a few seconds of silence passed by, Nullpudding hoarsely spoke out loud. "I… I could hear you guys taking the entire time. Uh- Alexei got away, didn't he? You're telling me that he's still out there?"

Eiji ignored Nullpudding's question and responded to his weakened condition. "Just stay with us Nullpudding… We're going to get you medical attention as soon as possible."

"Shut the hell up Exorcist. I'm not dying… I'm just tired. Now are you going to tell me if Alexei escaped?"

Eiji couldn't help but smile at Nullpudding's antics. "Not just Alexei… But Darkness itself. The Darkness was already weakened from us attacking it, and defeating the Darkness would mean smothering its presence until Alexei could no longer tap into its power. In other words, completely breaking its connection from Alexei. If that were to happen, the Darkness would have to find another person to wield its physical form. Since we almost did that, the Darkness found an opening to escape so it could live to fight another day with Alexei."

"So if they're still together, does that mean Alexei can still…?"

Eiji nodded and responded to Nullpudding's suggestion. "Yes. Alexei still has control over the physical form of Darkness. Until someone defeats the Darkness by breaking its connection to Alexei, Alexei will still have full control over it. The other option is for the Darkness to completely use up its aura in its attacks."

"What happens if we stopped the Darkness for good?"

"Remember what the Darkness said throughout our fight; there cannot be Light without Darkness. You can only break their connections. When that happens, the Darkness finds a new person to reveal its form to over time. The Darkness chose Alexei as its wielder because Alexei's thoughts became plans, those plans became actions, and those actions plummeted Alexei into Darkness. It takes time for Darkness to have a physical form, and it ALWAYS has to start with someone's thoughts turning into evil. There is no other way, and that's why it can be so time consuming. Thoughts can take a while to turn to actions, and that's why the Darkness chose to escape rather than start over."

"So we basically got as close as to defeating the Darkness as we could without it having to find a new wielder?" Nullpudding pieced everything together.

"You've got it," Eiji paused to add words of motivation to the group, "Even though the Darkness's relationship with Alexei is benefiting both of their motives in the end, it'll be up to all the guilds to bring Alexei and the Darkness to justice," He then diverted his attention to Reedus and reassured him, "Just remember what Nullpudding said. We severely weakened the Darkness that Alexei wields, so it's going to be a while before we hear about either of them again. But when that time comes, Fiore will be ready." Eiji finished while standing up with the rest of the Magical Alliance. He extended his arm outwards towards Nullpudding who accepted the grasp which lifted him back on his feet.

Now that the situation calmed down, Jura noticed that Eiji's attire was completely intact even though he was the most offensive throughout the fight. "Eiji…? Aren't you tired from all those offensive spells?" Jura confusingly asked.

Eiji shook his head without hesitation. "Not at all. During parts of the fight, I had to hold back a lot of time. There's no use in stopping Alexei and the Darkness if we destroy an underwater guild hall. I don't want 'drowning because of recklessness' as a part of our epitaph."

Jura looked towards Eiji and Reedus and thought to himself in disbelief. _"Eiji…? How strong are you and the rest of Fairy Tail from Master Natsu's training-_ " Jura never got the chance to finish pondering to himself.

Nullpudding interrupted Jura's thoughts with something plaguing his mind. "I have a question for you Exorcist. You talk about the Darkness as if you're its mortal enemy. Not to mention that you're a Holy Devil Slayer… Are- Are you the physical form of Light?"

Eiji laughed out loud and smirked. "Only in my biggest dreams. While the Darkness chose Alexei as its wielder, light chooses US as its wielder. Not me… Not you… And certainly not Master Natsu… But US. As cheesy as it sounds, there is no greater weapon that what we can achieve together. We stopped the biggest threat of Darkness for the time being, and because we did that, we stopped it from carrying out Alexei's Lacrima experiments. That's what really matters right now."

Reedus smiled at the group and put a hand on his hip in satisfaction. His eyes widened when he felt Archenemy still fastened at his side. "Pardon the sudden change in topic, but we still have an entire guild to check up on. That includes making sure Kagura is alright! "

Nullpudding bolted towards the door and gestured towards the other mages. "Reedus is right. The other groups should be done clearing out the other Dark mages, but I'll still get you guys to the main guild hall ASAP. It'll be faster than relying on some map."

The mages confidently nodded towards Nullpudding in agreement. With that, the mages bolted out of the office and towards the spiral staircase that led towards the main guild hall.

* * *

Scene Change – A Few Hours Ago

" _That was pretty straight forwards. Hibiki's map definitely did the trick for us. I can already see the entrance to the cells._ " Natsu thought to himself while the map projection vanished from in front of him. Natsu led the three disguised Trimens into a large atrium with a gated door at the end. The atrium had massive pillars shaped like demons supporting the ceiling while two guards stood in front of each pillar. Natsu approached the door and noticed two final guards standing on each side of the massive gated door.

The two guards saw the group of mages approaching them and converged in the middle of the gate to greet the group. " **Good afternoon Obra! How can we assist you and your apprentices?"** They bowed in unison while lowering their staffs.

Natsu scattered up the black cloak draped over Obra's blue puppet and landed on its shoulder. "KEHKEHKEHKEH!" He cackled at the guards while pointing at the gated doors behind them.

Hibiki stepped forward and translated for Natsu. "We've been told to check up on the experiments and see if any of them know where Kurohebi might be. Obra and the rest of us didn't want to have to come down here, but we need to find out where the hell he is since we haven't seen him since yesterday." He decided to use Kurohebi as an excuse considering none of the Raven Tail mages were notified of his death yet.

" **YES SIR! We understand. Take all the time you need interrogating the subjects!** " The guards yelled in unison while returning to their original positions and raising their staffs back to their defensive positions. They activated a metallic lever on both sides of the gated door at the same time which caused it to rise into an opening in the ceiling.

Natsu watched as the steel door revealed the stairway leading to the dimly lit basement and scurried back into Obra's puppet. He searched for the Lacrima inside and began to communicate with Nullpudding and Flare. " _This is Natsu who's using his Lacrima. We have access to the cells, and we're beginning to search for Kagura and the rest of the mages being experimented on. Nullpudding can begin the attack if Flare is ready on his go."_ Natsu finished projecting his thoughts and waited for a response.

Flare was the first to respond to Natsu's Telepathy. " _This is Flare who's using her Lacrima._ _We're in position inside the mess hall and there's definitely peak traffic right now. Nullpudding can begin the attack once we hear back from his Lacrima."_

After a short hesitation, Nullpudding responded to the duo. " _This is Nullpudding who's using his Lacrima. We're in position inside Alexei's office. I have to say, Salamander contacted us just in time. I think I've had enough of Alexei's antics here; Flare and her disguised apprentices won't have a problem knowing when to begin clearing out the guild hall."_ He threatened while ending the Lacrima Telepathy.

Just as the Natsu was about to lead his disguised group into the eerie basement, Eve approached one of the guards and ignored what Nullpudding's warning about limiting their speech. "Hey guys? I need a bit of advice. I don't know if you've heard the rumors yet, but Alexei plans on promoting a few of Raven Tail's Guild members to Elite Mages. Since they're going to need to know how to navigate the cells, what's the easiest way for them to get to Kagura's cell since she's one of our higher priorities?" He said while eyeing the map that only he could see in front of him.

Natsu's eyes widened when he saw Eve approach the guards instead of entering the basement. " _No-No-No-No... Eve? We need to get in there now before the attack starts. We'll have all the time in Earthland to look for Kagura once we get down there._ " Natsu thought to himself while subtly shaking his head in Eve's direction.

Natsu never got the chance to grab Eve's attention. The guard in front of Eve diverted his attention to speak to the other guard across from him. "See man…? Someone in this guild hall actually appreciates us! I mean, we're some of the only guild members allowed in the basement, so they came to the right guards," The guard then diverted his attention back to Eve, "Tell the newbies that all the test subjects are scattered around the basement to give them isolation, but the stronger ones are always kept towards the back so they have the least interaction with the rest of them; that includes Kagura. Even though we typically use the smaller hallways as a shortcut to get to the stronger test subjects, less familiar mages will just get lost. The fastest way for newbies to get to Kagura is to follow the main path. It might take them a bit longer to get to her, but it's better than getting lost-" The guard never got the chance to finish speaking.

" **SSSSShhhhiiii- DOOOOM!** " A massive explosion rattled the entire Raven Tail Guild call. All the mages in the atrium braced themselves against the floor while the resounding explosion began to settle in the distance.

Before any of the guards could even react to the noise they heard, Alexei's voice boomed out over the atrium. "WE HAVE A BREAK IN. DON'T TRUST ANY OF THE HIGHER UP APPRENTICES." Alexei's voice abruptly cut out which caused a short silence to fall upon the mages standing in the atrium.

All the guards immediately raised their staffs from their defensive position and angled it at the disguised mages in caution. This caused Eve to slowly backpedal towards where the rest of his disguised group was standing.

The two guards converged at the middle of the gate and glared at the disguised mages in front of them while raising their staffs in an offensive position.

The disguised mages stood in silence while their disguises began to flicker from between their normal attire a part of the Magical Alliance and what they were currently wearing. After a few seconds, their disguises completely vanished in a cloud of Reedus's colored smoke. The cloud of smoke slowly began to dissipate which revealed Natsu in his Red cloak, chain armor, charcoal pants, and combat boots. The rest of the Trimens were standing in their respective suits.

All the guards eyes widened in horror at the mages standing in front of them. The guard that spoke to Eve to stood in front of them and spoke out loud. "Who the hell are you?!" He menacingly spat with a glare in his eye.

Without hesitation, Natsu and the Trimens threw their bodies towards the two guards, knocked them out of the way, and bolted towards the staircase leading into the dim basement.

" _ **DARKNESS BLAST!**_ " The guards around the pillars yelled in unison while all firing powerful beams of Dark magic from their staffs.

The Trimens heard the spells being fired towards them and immediately turned around to protect the stairwell.

" _ **Aerial Phose!**_ " Ren said while swinging his arms in a circular motion. A cyclone began to form around the blasts of Dark magic being fired which directed the attacks back towards the guards.

Eve and Hibiki used Ren's counterattack as an opportunity to separate from each other while simultaneously performing a roundhouse kick against the two levers. This cause the gated door to jam while it slowly began to close behind Natsu inside of the stairwell.

Natsu heard the sound of the steel gate closing behind him. He turned around to check if the Trimens were following him and noticed that they were occupied with blocking the closing door. "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING? GET DOWN HERE BEFORE THE GATE CLOSES!" He yelled while the gate began to seal out the atrium's light.

Hibiki turned around and coolly reassured Natsu while spells were continued to fire in the background. "Don't worry about us! You just worry about getting to Kagura. We'll hold these bastards off up here. The last thing you need to worry about are Dark mages getting to her before one of us can-"

With that, the remaining light coming from the atrium vanished with Hibiki's voice as the gated door completely closed.

Natsu knew that there was no turning back. As much as he wanted to help the Trimens, deep down inside he knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself is he found out something happened to Kagura. That's what mattered to him right now. "They're right. The Trimens can handle themselves… Kagura is what matters right now." Natsu lowly spoke to himself. He turned back towards the dimly lit basement at the bottom of the stairwell and began his descent.

Once he reached the bottom, his eyes adjusted to his surroundings and noticed dimly lit cells lining both sides of a massive hallway. In between the cells were smaller hallways jetting out from the main one. "Is anyone in here?" Natsu spoke out loud.

The sound of rustling came from one of the cells. This was followed by a man frantically speaking out loud. "Huh- Who's there? Please don't hurt us. We can't take it anymore." He finished by helplessly pleading towards the new voice.

Natsu reluctantly approached the cells lining the right side of the hallway and noticed a man's arms suspended by a pair of magical restraints. Natsu softly spoke to the pleading man. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here with a bunch of other mages and we're taking down this guild hall. We're going to get you out of here once it's safe."

The man sighed in utter happiness. "Thu- Thank you so much! I don't think we would have lasted much longer if you weren't here to save us."

"What do you mean by 'we?' How many others are with you?"

"There's only one other person here right now. From what the guards were saying whenever they walked by with their Guild Master, I think the other girl's name is Kagura. There used to be a couple dozen of us down here, but if you know anything about why we were captured in the first place…" The man couldn't bare to finish. All he could do was gesture towards a rack lying against the back of his cell.

Natsu peered further into the dimly lit cell and widened his eyes in horror. The rack was completely filled with fully harvested Lacrimas. Natsu slowly sank to the ground when he realized that those were all implanted into mages for experimentation. "We were too late." He could only manage to say.

The man leaned forward to speak to Natsu. "Hey, buddy…? I know you're sad about what happened to the others, but from what those Dark mages did to Kagura, she wasn't having it easy. Right now, you have a chance to save her. She needs it right now more than me. I can wait here until you come back. It's not like you can really get me out of here until you know that the rest of those Dark mages are taken care of."

Natsu reluctantly stood up and bowed in appreciation at the man's selfless nature. "Then I'll be back after I make sure Kagura's okay. We're going to get you out of here as fast as we can!" Natsu promised while spinning around from the cell's bars.

The man nodded in satisfaction and smiled at Natsu's resolve to save someone instead of dwelling over the fate of the other prisoners.

Without saying another word, Natsu bolted down the massive hallway which led towards the rear of the basement. With each corner he rounded, Natsu began to question the man's advice which slowly began to plague his mind. " _How do I have a chance to save Kagura? I mean, how can I do that if I'm the reason she ended up here in the first place? If_ that _guy really meant that something happened to her, then I'd be the only person Kagura would blame for Raven Tail capturing her."_

Before Natsu could begin rationalizing with his self-doubt _,_ his thoughts were interrupted when he rounded the final corner. His sprint gradually slowed to a halt when he noticed the hallway abruptly ended in the distance. Instead of all the smaller hallways merging into the main hallway in order to separate the cells, those were replaced by large steel walls to give any prisoners isolation.

Natsu peered down the hallway and noticed a brighter source of lighting coming from the final cell on the left. The slightly brighter lighting contrasted from the dimness shared throughout the main hallway. " _Kagura._ " Natsu concluded in his mind at the only distinctively lit cell.

Just knowing that Kagura was in that cell caused Natsu to begin completing the trek. With every step he took towards the rear wall, the suspense caused the same feeling of self-doubt to usher throughout his body. " _Please… Please be okay Kagura… If you aren't, then I'll be the only one to blame_." He attempted to shake the thoughts out of his head for the last time while beginning to peer around the wall between the cells. " _I can't be thinking this right now. Since when do I doubt myself? After I know that she's fine… Nothing else will matter._ " He reassured himself with uncertainty.

With one last step, Natsu fully passed the wall separating the cells and looked upwards directly in front of him. His heart immediately cracked when his eyes rested on the purple haired mage suspended by her magical restraints. Kagura's head was lowered which revealed her frizzy hair from the dried up sweat on her body. Her flawless facial skin had a large gash across her right cheek that was beginning to clot. Finally, her injured hands were bandaged in her own Blazer which revealed the rest of her fragile body.

After a few moments, Natsu was able to bring himself to approach the entrance to the cell. He used all the emotional strength he could muster to open the barred door from the outside before stepping into the cell's lighting.

" **Clang…** " The sound of the steel bars made as the doorway was swung against the rest of the cell.

Kagura heard the sound and slowly lifted her head in anticipation of one of Raven Tail's guards entering her cell. Her facial expressions of hatred and rage melted into that of disbelief once her hazel eyes rested on Natsu's face. A lone tear fell caressed her cheek before falling on the floor while. She could only bring herself to utter one name. "Muh- Master Natsu…"

Natsu stood in front of her since he didn't know how to react. He didn't know if embracing Kagura was a good idea considering everything she had been through. Instead, he slowly approached her magical restraints and slightly flared up his magic. A fiery aura of Dragon Slayer magic surrounded his hands. He then gripped Kagura's magical restraints which melted them from the outside.

After a few seconds, the restraints snapped from Kagura's hands which released her from their grip. Kagura dropped to Natsu's feet right in front of him and knelt on all fours.

Even though Natsu had second thoughts about embracing Kagura, the next thing she did reassured his second thoughts. Kagura used all the strength she could muster to stand up and hurl herself on top of Natsu which tackled him to the ground. She clung to his body for life and completely broke down in tears. Natsu was in total disbelief at how vulnerable her persona was.

"IT... IT WAS SO BAD!" Kagura croaked through labored hiccups into his chest. Each word that she said caused Natsu's heart to crack more and more. "I DIDN'T THINK THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND ME! Uh- Ivan stole your Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima during your fight with him. He implanted it in me… And… And…THEY MADE IT SEEM LIKE THEY KILLED YOU OR SOMETHING!"

Natsu released an arm from around Kagura and slowly reached into his cloak's pocket. "No… Alexei is Gramp's son? Ivan is Raven Tail's Guild Master and... And he did all of this to you?" Natsu questioned while fearing the worst. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that the Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima wasn't inside his pocket; Ivan really did implant it inside of Kagura's body. He lowered his head which caused his pink hair to shadow his facial features in self-doubt and guilt. Natsu then revealed the thoughts that have been on his mind for the last couple of days once he realized that they were true. "Nun- No... I did this to you. Everything that you've been though is because of me, and it's all my fault." He confessed while he loosened his embrace around Kagura.

Kagura's eyes bulged open in disbelief at what Natsu said. She shot her head upwards from Natsu's chest and began to deny what he said. "No… Master Natsu… This isn't your fault at all!" Kagura knew this was what she thought when Alexei first started torturing her: that Natsu didn't care about finding her, or else he wouldn't have allowed Raven Tail to capture her in the first place. But everything Natsu did was to put an end to Raven Tail, and nobody could have predicted Kurohebi capturing her. She just couldn't believe that Natsu would be saying something like this right now despite him having no way to know about that.

"Kuk- Kagura…? Look at what Alexei did to you. He almost got away with harvesting a Lacrima from your body. That would have killed you if the Magical Alliance didn't find you in time. Raven Tail injured your arms and left that gash on your face… All the pain you've been through is my fault, because it could have been prevented." He finished by referring to Kagura's physical wounds.

Kagura tightened her embrace around Natsu and rested her head on his chest again. "Please… Stop saying that this is your fault. If- If you keep saying that, then I'm never going to forgive myself for not saving you when I could have prevented that also. When Ivan was torturing me, he was somehow able to take me to the past when you and Erza were fighting Jellal in the Tower of Heaven. Instead of Simon sacrificing himself for Erza to live, Jellal let me decide between using you or Simon as an offering for the Tower of Heaven. I couldn't bear to live without either of you, so you were both killed in the end. I could have prevented losing you if I was truly ready to accept that Fairy Tail would help me find my new purpose in life, but I wasn't ready to embrace your advice if that meant having to lose Simon. I wasn't able to prevent losing you, because I wasn't ready to accept your advice that Simon might be gone for a reason."

Natsu lightly shook his lowered head while Kagura continued to weep. "No. What you went through isn't your fault at all. Even though I said you've been opening up your emotions as a part of Fairy Tail, it's not meant to be easy to move on from Simon's death since he meant so much to you. But what I did… It could have been prevented. All the physical and emotional pain Alexei put you through is still because of me. If I wasn't so reckless and I didn't attack Alexei like Jura warned me about, we would have been able to stop Kurohebi from capturing you instead of everyone having to worry about me. All of this is because I let my emotions control my actions," Natsu coldly chuckled when he remembered something Nullpudding told him, "It's just like Nullpudding said, Ivan played my emotions like a deck of cards. I promised Fairy Tail that I would change how reckless I was if it meant keeping our guild from being disbanded, but the fact I let them take you without a fight proves that I haven't changed at all. Macao and the rest of Fairy Tail trusted me that I would change for the sake of Fairy Tail, but right now, I feel as though everything I do just causes more problems and that I haven't lived up to everyone's expectations because of my reckless actions. Erza was right when I injured my arm two years ago; I haven't grown up at all. After everything Fairy Tail has been through and trusted me with, what I put you through proves that nothing's changed with how I act. I'm just an immature, reckless idiot... I don't deserve to be called Fairy Tail's Guild master."

Kagura darted her head upwards in horror and scolded Natsu. "MASTER NATSU! NEVER say that again," She paused to break down in another emotional wave of tears while helplessly punching Natsu's chest, "Promise me you won't doubt yourself like that ever again. You mean so much to Fairy Tail as our Guild Master, and every guild member wouldn't have it any other way. Have you seen how much everyone smiles even though the Tenrou group isn't here anymore? That's because everything you've done for Fairy Tail these past two years was in the guild's best interest and to make sure we weren't disbanded. You give attention to each and every one of our guild members which is something everyone felt that Master Makarov never did. You gave the rest of Fairy Tail attention by helping our Nakama use Erza's advice to move past the disappearance of the Tenrou Group. You related Ezra's advice about finding our new purpose in life to what Porlyusica said about valuing all our guild mates even if you didn't interact with some of them as much. Love the ones you think deserve it the least… BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY NEED IT THE MOST." She summed up everything that Natsu taught her from Porlyusica's advice.

Natsu could only stutter one word while Kagura continued to helplessly pounded his chest. "Kuh- Kagura…"

"If you didn't learn anything from being Guild Master, then I wouldn't matter to you at all right now. But the fact that you put everything aside to save me proves that you do care about your Nakama and that this isn't your fault! Everything that you've helped Fairy Tail with wouldn't have happened if your recklessness caused our guild to disband. You just need to believe me. PROMISE ME YOU WON'T SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN." Kagura finished speaking by staring into Natsu's shadowed facial expressions.

Natsu had tears welling up in his eyes after hearing Kagura deny his self-doubt. He rapidly blinked which caused his tears to fall in front of Kagura's face. All Natsu was capable of doing was agreeing with Kagura for her own sake. "I promise," He lowly spoke and returned Kagura's embrace by tightening his grip around her body, "Does… Does it hurt? That gash that he left on your cheek?" Natsu winced while gesturing to her injuries.

Kagura meekly smiled once she heard Natsu make his promise to her. The radiating warmth that began to restore to Natsu's persona caused her teary eyes to bulge open at what she reflexively said. "Not anymore… Now that you're here."

Natsu couldn't help but embarrassingly blush at Kagura's remark, but he didn't get any time to ponder over it as his mind slowly drifted back towards the events that just unfolded. Even though Natsu made his promise to Kagura to never doubt himself again, he knew he did it to ease her mind and that being Guild Master was more than making sure Fairy Tail wasn't disbanded; it was also about looking out for his Nakama and making sure they didn't get hurt because of his actions. Natsu knew he would have to change that one day, but at least he had his Nakama supporting him at his side. But most importantly, Kagura was safe right now, and they were both there for each other.

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	22. Chapter 22 - Resolve of the Alliance

**Author's Note:** Merry Christmas!

I know what you're thinking right now, "What the hell?! I waited all this time for an update which is 5K words?!"

Before you start flaming the review section, this chapter was originally meant to be uploaded with 14K words (a little Christmas gift from me). However, I felt as though that would be too long for you guys to read in one sitting, so I decided to split it up. This Chapter will have 5.5K words, and the next one will have 8.5K words.

I'm in the process of editing the next chapter, so it will hopefully be published by the end of the day. This Author's Note was not meant to be anything extravagant considering the shorter update length, but I will give a more detailed Author's Note once I publish the next chapter in a couple of hours!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 22: Resolve of the Alliance**

"HEY NATSU?! Were you able to find Kagura!" A man called out while making his way around the final corner leading to the end of the basement.

The voice snapped Natsu and Kagura out of their emotional state. The duo released their embrace around one another and stood up to greet the man approaching the cell.

Natsu's enhanced hearing caused his ears to twitch at the familiar voice calling out towards him. After a few seconds, the man passed the steel wall separating the cells and appeared in the middle of the hallway. Natsu was taken by surprise when he noticed that the voice belonged to the imprisoned man he spoke to earlier. "I knew your voice sounded familiar! How were you able to get out of your cell? Now that I think about it, how do you even know my name? I never got the chance to tell you it before I left."

The man sheepishly rubbed his head. "Well, all I can say is that I had these three nice gentlemen helping me out." The man then gestured to the trio of mages following him from behind.

Ren, Hibiki, and Eve emerged from the dimly lit hallway and approached the bars to Kagura's cell. The three mages smiled in happiness when they saw Kagura safely standing next to Natsu.

Eve sighed in relief once the rest of the Trimens were reassured her safety. He then bowed and complimented Kagura as a way to personally greet her. "Miss Mikazuchi…? Despite everything you've been through, might I say how wonderful you look?" He referred to Kagura's wounds on her body.

Kagura couldn't help but smile at Eves antics. She eyed all the Trimens members before walking towards the exit of the cell with Natsu. The duo exited the cell while Kagura greeted them. "It's great to see that things haven't changed while I was gone."

Natsu interrupted the group's conversation when he realized that the Trimens were supposed to be fighting the guards at the entrance of the basement. "How'd you guys get down here? You jammed the door and were busy fighting all those guards. There were at least a couple dozen up there."

"They had more strength in numbers if anything, so Eve was able to wipe most of them out with his **Snow** magic. We actually used most of our magic potential trying to get that damn door open, so it worked out perfectly for us," Hibiki confidently smirked while stretching his body, "But it really is a relief to know that you're safe now." He diverted his attention back to Kagura and spoke for the rest of the Trimens.

"Thank you. All of you. It feels so reassuring to know that you all came down here just for me." Kagura warmly smiled.

Eve swooned out of affection for Kagura when he noticed her cell in the background. "Of course we were going to come for you. I mean, what a horrible place to be locked up in! This is no place for a lady to be held captive. Might I suggest taking Miss Mikazuchi to the main guild hall where she can have adequate room and be in the comfort of safety?"

Natsu cocked his eyebrow at Eve in uncertainty. "You think Nullpudding and Flare are done taking down Alexei and the rest of the guild hall?"

"For sure! All the rumbling we heard before stopped, so that means we're good to regroup back at the main guild hall."

Natsu nodded in response and pulled the Lacrima that Mest gave him from his pocket. He closed his eyes and slowly rubbed the crystal orb while it began to contact Mest. After a few seconds, the crystal orb projected the image of Mest sitting at a table in a massive room filled with hundreds of Rune knights scattered around it. Many of the them were sitting at Mest's table playing with a deck of cards.

Mest immediately stood up and greeted Natsu through the Lacrima projection in his hands. "Master Natsu! I assume you are ready for us to secure the guild hall?" The Magic Council representative gestured to the hundreds of Rune Knights accompanying him.

Natsu nodded in response. "We're all set. It's a good thing you brought so many Rune Knights, because this guild hall is really big. Just wait until you find out where it is!"

The Rune Knights immediately stood up from where they were sitting and armed themselves with their magical staffs. They formed in their respective platoons with their lieutenants standing in front of them. In a matter of seconds, they were ready to leave on Mest's word. "Where do you want us to head?" The Magic Council representative asked.

"The guild hall is located beneath Lake Sciliora. Travel around Magnolia Forest until you reach the side of the lake looking over Fairy Tail's Guild hall. We'll open up the entrance so you guys can get into Raven Tail's headquarters. We still need to regroup with the rest of the Magical Alliance, so we'll see you once we're done with that."

Mest confidently smirked in satisfaction. "Since we positioned ourselves in Magnolia Town, we'll be there in a couple of minutes at most! We'll see you then Master Natsu."

" **HHHOORRRAH!** " The morale of the soldiers roared throughout the room they were stationed in.

Natsu returned Mest's confident smirk before ending the Lacrima call. He then pocketed the Lacrima back into his cloak and diverted his attention to the other mages. "You heard Mest. It's best we head to the main guild hall. The faster we get those Magic Council Rune Knights in here, the faster we can all go home," He paused to divert his attention to Kagura, "Not to mention Reedus will be happy to know you're fine." He finished by laying a comforting hand on Kagura's shoulder.

* * *

"Wow… You guys totally destroyed this place." Reedus's jaw went slack while Nullpudding's group slowly approached the bar at the end of the main guild hall. They gazed around the massive room and noticed unconscious Dark mages littered across the floor. The tables on the sides of the room were completely destroyed from Dark mages being tossed into them which caused their bodies to twitch on top of the wooden pieces. The only intact portions of the guild hall were the bar and the main pathway leading up to it.

Lyon rubbed his head in embarrassment as Nullpudding's group approached the bar. "Natsu isn't the only one who can destroy stuff. Speaking of destroying things, where's Alexei? I want to see the look on that psychotic bastard's face once he finds out that Mest and his Magic Council Rune Knights are gonna destroy all the Lacrimas he harvested."

Reedus's face turned a ghostly white the more Lyon spoke. He had no idea how the rest of the Magical Alliance was going to react to the Darkness managing to escape with Alexei.

Eiji reassured Reedus by resting a comforting hand over his shoulder. Eiji then spoke to Flare's group propped against the bar. "I'll explain everything that happened during our fight with him, but it's best that we wait until Master Natsu's and the other mages regroup with the rest of us. It's kind of a long story, so I don't want to repeat myself."

Flare hissed at Eiji while referring to the color is his hair. "Just remember, Blondie. Now that Nullpudding and I are done helping you Fairy Flies out, you better make sure Salamander keeps his end of the bargain-"

She never got the chance to finish threatening the Magical Alliance. Just before Nullpudding could try to calm Flare's hostile nature, the group was interrupted by a familiar voice calling out from the entrance of the main guild hall. "HEY FLARE?! I LOVE WHAT YOUR GROUP DID TO THE PLACE!" The voice directed towards the bar caused Nullpudding's group to separate from in front of Flare's group leaning against the bar so they could all see who was running towards them.

All the mages sweatdropped when they noticed that Natsu was the one who complemented them. Lyon deadpanned at the ecstatic Dragon Slayer leading the rest of the Trimens towards the bar. "Why am I surprised? Who else would genuinely enjoy this much destruction?"

The mages at the bar scanned over the members of Natsu's group and noticed a man that none of the mages had recognized before. His clothes were tattered and barely clinging to his body. Considering the state he was in, everyone dismissed him as being one of the prisoners Raven Tail used for Lacrima experimentation.

Reedus sighed at the sight of the man in relief. " _It's great to see that Master Natsu was able to save one of the other prisoners."_ Reedus's thoughts were interrupted while he finished scanning the rest of Natsu's group approaching him. His eyes slowly widened in sheer happiness and satisfaction when his gaze was locked with a familiar woman.

Reedus noticed that the woman's purple hair was frizzy from profusely sweating. Her signature white blazer was removed from her upper body and was wrapped around her hands to serve as a tourniquet. Even though Reedus noticed that the woman had a large gash across her right cheek, his black eyes never parted ways with her hazel ones. Reedus managed to whisper her name while bolting towards where she began to break off from the rest of Natsu's group. "Kagura."

Reedus met Kagura half way across the center isle and embraced her in the middle of all the mages. The entire time, he quivered in relief from finally reuniting with his captured Nakama. "I- I knew you'd be able to handle whatever Raven Tail could throw at you. When Kurohebi captured you, none of us were going to stop hunting Alexei down until we knew you were safe. We always had you in the back of our minds. Now that you're back home with your Nakama, that's all that matters."

Kagura gushed at what Reedus said to her while the duo parted from their embrace. She noticed that all the mages had warm smiles across their faces which encouraged her to respond. "Reedus, I can't thank everyone enough. Everything that you and the rest of the Magical Alliance did was to make sure that I would be able to return to Fairy Tail," She began to giggle at what she told Reedus next," I don't know why I am that you found me so quick. Fairy Tail members never abandon each other even if all hope is lost. Our Nakama are just stubborn like that, but that's why I'm proud to call myself a Fairy Tail mage." She returned the warm smile while reaching for Archenemy. She expected for Archenemy to be fastened at her hip so she could thrust it into the air and show her Guild Mark engraved into its chain. Her eyes widened in realization when she remembered that she dropped Archenemy at Raven Tail's Guild hall back in Clover Town during her fight with Kurohebi.

Reedus noticed the panic in Kagura's eyes while her hands slowly searched her body. He chuckled while unfastening Archenemy from his own waist. "I think this belongs to you." He then extended the sword outwards for Kagura to grab by the hilt.

The sight of Archenemy caused a wave of relief to usher over Kagura's tense. She accepted Archenemy's hilt and thrust the sword into the air to show off the metallic chain with her Fairy Tail Guild Mark engraved into it. After a few seconds, her eyes slightly teared up in gratitude. She approached Reedus one last time and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for taking care of Archenemy."

"Don't mention it at all. We're just glad that you're alright, because we were actually worried that something might have happened to you since Master Natsu's group was taking longer than the rest of us." Reedus finished speaking which caused Kagura to separate from him.

Natsu rubbed his head and sheepishly responded. "Sorry we took so long. We had to make a quick stop at the entrance so we could open it for Mest and the other Rune Knights to get into the guild hall."

Lyon chimed in once he realized that since the entire Magical Alliance was present, Eiji could explain what happened throughout the fight with Alexei. "Now that Master Natsu's group is here, are we able to discuss what happened throughout the fight with Alexei?"

"Did someone say fight?!" Natsu frantically spoke to Eiji once he remembered that Nullpudding's group was tasked with taking down Ivan.

Eiji responded by chuckling at Natsu's antics. "We might as well wait until Mest and his Rune Knights secure the guild hall so we can fill him in on everything that happened."

" **UUUUUGGGhhhh…** " Natsu and Lyon groaned in unison while Lyon continued to speak. "You're not making easy for us to find out what happened to Alexei-"

Lyon never got the chance to finish. Just as Jura was about to calm the Ice mage down, the sound of Mest's voice echoed throughout the entire guild as it made its way towards the bar that the Magical Alliance was standing at. "ALRIGHT MEN! SECURE THE GUILD HALL!"

Natsu chuckled at the timing of Mest's voice in the distance. "Speaking of Mest and his Rune Knights, the faster they secure this guild hall, the faster we can sort this mess out and all go home.

* * *

Mest's lieutenants had spread their platoons throughout each individual portion of the guild hall to secure as much of it as they possibly could. The majority of the Rune Knights were busy documenting the harvested Lacrimas racked on the shelves lining the cell walls in the basement.

The remainder of the Rune Knights were either booking the unconscious Dark mages into custody, scouring the Guild Master's office for any trace of his whereabouts, or taking care of the man who was formerly imprisoned with Kagura.

Mest was currently sitting at the bar with the rest of the Magical Alliance. They were all listening to Eiji clarify everything that happened to Nullpudding's group throughout their fight with Alexei. Eiji told Mest and the Magical Alliance about how Alexei had full control over the physical form of Darkness, what the Darkness was, and how Alexei was able to achieve it in the first place. The entire time, Mest was briskly summarizing the events that unfolded with a pen and notepad.

Mest's reaction was the same as the rest of the Magical Alliance; all of them were shocked at how much magical potential Alexei was able to tap into with the Darkness.

"So… I'm assuming that Alexei was able to escape before you were able to stop him and the Darkness?" Mest implied while beginning to wrap up the thoughts on his notepad.

Eiji nodded in response. "You've got it. The reason Reedus was afraid to tell everyone earlier is because we had no idea how everyone would react. Just know that even if Alexei and the Darkness are still out there on Earthland, we were able to severely wakened both of them. It'll take at least another couple of years for us to hear from them again… That's if Alexei chooses to show his face considering we just took down the guild that he spent years trying to build from the ground up."

Mest nodded in satisfaction from the answer that Eiji gave him. "Thank you for the clarification. Is there anything else that you all would like to add?" He paused to scan the entire Magical Alliance.

Kagura raised her hand from the seat she was in and fidgeted with her body in nervousness. "I do not know how to say this, but Raven Tail was able to implant a Lacrima inside of me. It allows me to use **Gravity** magic." She paused to point towards a mug lying on a shelf behind the bar's countertop. Without needing to activate a spell, the mug began to levitate on its own.

The entire Magical Alliance and Mest could only watch in shock at the newfound magic Kagura was able to use. Sherria was the first to react at the levitating mug. "That's so cool, Kagura! You can make the cup fly without moving anything else!"

This snapped the rest of the mages out of their trance. "Sherria is right. Being able to change Gravity is already a rare form of magic, but I'm surprised you're able to use it so effortlessly even with a Lacrima. The mug isn't wobbling at all." Jura couldn't help but be impressed at the potential of the Lacrima inside Kagura's body.

Mest continued to jot down his observations in his notepad. He then sympathetically laid a comforting hand on his guild mate's shoulder. "Kagura, you should know that once a Lacrima is implanted inside a mage's body, it can't be removed. It's because the Lacrima binds to the Ethernano in your body. If the Lacrima is removed…"

Kagura meekly sighed and plastered a hopeful smile on her face. "Master Natsu told me what would happen. If the Lacrima was removed, it would remove the Ethernano from my body which would kill me. That's why Master Makarov excommunicated Ivan Dreyar from Fairy Tail. Ivan tried to use his own son to strengthen a Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima. Removing it from his son's body would kill him, but he was willing to do that if it meant that Ivan could harvest the power from it."

Mest warmly smiled when he noticed that Kagura was handling the situation well. "It's great to see that you're coping with the situation. Who knows, since you're already making progress with using Gravity Magic, mastering it might not be such a bad idea."

Kagura blushed at the confidence Mest had in her. "Yeah, maybe that would be for the best." She stuttered.

"Is there anything else we should know about?"

"Actually, there's one last thing," Kagura paused to gather her thoughts together, "The reason I brought up Laxus is because Alexei told me his true identity while I was his prisoner. Natsu must have forgotten to tell everyone earlier considering everything that we had to sort out, but Alexei is Ivan Dreyar: the son of Master Makarov. The reason he's doing all of this is so he can use the power form harvested Lacrima to achieve a life of luxury in the world without any instability. He planned on using Fairy Tail's most powerful weapon to do that."

"Well… Did he say what the weapon's name was?"

"Lumen Histoire." Kagura confidently replied to Mest.

A deathly silence fell upon the bar. Mest diverted his gaze to the other members of the Magical Alliance and noticed that none of them were surprised by the turn of events. "I guess we're all on the same page for once. None of us seem really surprised at who Alexei is." The Magic Council representative deadpanned.

The rest of the Magical Alliance chuckled at his antics. Ren began to coolly speak for the rest of them. "Honestly? It's probably because of how everything ties together. Master Natsu already told us that Ivan was using Laxus to strengthen his Lighting Dragon Slayer Lacrima. Not to mention Raven Tail's name is based off of Fairy Tail, so I guess it all makes sense in the end."

Mest began tapping his pen on his notepad. "Ach… But Lumen Histoire… You know of a Lumen Histoire?" Mest finished by asking Natsu since he was Fairy Tail's Guild Master.

Natsu slowly shook his head in silence.

Mest then turned his head towards Nullpudding and Flare. Nullpudding blatantly spoke for the duo without hesitation. "Don't bother asking us. There's a reason Alexei was able to sneak Raven Tail's headquarters right beneath Fairy Tail, and that's because he isn't a loud mouth."

Mest laughed to himself while pocketing his pen and flipping his notepad closed. He then got up from his barstool and spoke to the Magical Alliance. "That about wraps up everything I needed to know. Everything will be kept on record for us to view: including Reedus's sketch of Ivan's face, if he ever needs to edit a copied version. Once my men are done securing this guild hall with all of its evidence, we'll present everything we learned to Gran Doma. The Magic Council will notify Fiore and the rest of Earthland with Reedus's sketch while supplying a detailed description of the Lacrima experiments for the media. Once everyone finds out the truth behind what's been causing these robberies lately, there won't be a single mage in existence who'll continue to support Ivan. As for this guild hall, we can't really tear it down since it's underwater. We'll have Rune Knights sweep it every so often just to make sure that no one is inhabiting it."

"Sounds great," Natsu toothily smiled at the Magic Council representative who was preparing to leave, "Is there anything else you need from the Magical Alliance?"

"OH! Before I forget, we can actually end everything on a positive note," Mest paused to fully reassure everyone, "Just know that Gran Doma will be more than satisfied with the Magic Alliance's result. Even if we didn't apprehend Ivan, each one of your respective guilds can expect the full reward in two weeks at most."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… I was following you up until you said something about a reward."

Mest gave Natsu a puzzled look. "Well, taking down Raven Tail was an urgent S-Class quest approaching the league of one of the most dangerous of all time, so I'd hope you were rewarded accordingly for your effort."

"How much reward are we talking here?"

"Once the transaction is accounted for, the entire cut should be 300 million Jewels." Mest bluntly stated.

Natsu began wheezing when he realized that Mest was being completely serious about the reward. "Three- Three hunnid- Three hundred million Jewels." He coughed while Reedus whacked his back to snap him out of his trace.

Mest sweatdropped at the duo's antics. "Of course, the cut is going to have to split between Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus, so it'll come out to 100 million Jewels for each guild."

Reedus slowly began to calm Natsu down. Once Kagura realized that her Guild Master was regaining his bearings, she spoke to Mest astonishment. "Why is the reward so much?"

"The cost for a Wizard Saint's head is high. Gran Doma was going to do anything to take down Raven Tail after what happened to Mister Akiyama," Mest paused to gesture towards Natsu, "Judging from how Master Natsu is reacting to the reward, I take it you all have some celebrating to do. You guys are welcome to leave whenever you want." He finished by turning his back to the bar.

Just before he could begin his trek down the center isle, Natsu called out towards his back. "Wait! What about Nullpudding and Flare?" He nudged towards the two former Dark mages awkwardly standing in silence.

Mest looked over his back and lowly spoke to the group. "Well… We're the only ones who knew about your plan. Since the plan was between us, none of the other Rune Knights know about it. I'll let you do the talking to them. Goodbye friends. I will keep in contact with you in these upcoming days." Mest finished by holding his hand in the air as a parting gesture.

No one got the chance to properly say their goodbyes to Mest. Before they got the chance to thank him, the same two Rune Knights who were with Mest at the previous guild hall noticed that Mest began to walk down the center isle towards them. They left their stations at the entrance of the mess hall, approached the bar, and incapacitated Nullpudding and Flare to ensure they couldn't attack. They aggressively pulled the former Dark mages arms behind their backs and spoke in a superior tone. "Now that Mest doesn't need to be involved with these two, were they also involved in Lacrima experimentation with the rest of their guild mates?"

Nullpudding and Flare looked up towards Natsu from the countertop they were pressed against. Their eyes were practically begging for him to keep his promise.

Natsu waited a moment before laughing at the two Rune Knights and their serious antics. "Are you talking about those two 'Dark mages?' They couldn't hurt a fly. From what I noticed about how their guild mates were treating them, they're newbies. They didn't even know this was a Dark Guild when Mest was talking to them. Just put em' in protective custody so Alexei doesn't hunt them down. They didn't do anything wrong. Mest should say the same if you don't believe us."

The two Rune Knights nodded in confusion. Before they could fully restrain the former Dark mages, the two Rune Knights broke apart from the rest of the Magical Alliance to approach Mest and notify him of Natsu's decision: moreover, if Mest would approve of it.

Nullpudding knew that he didn't have any time to speak with Natsu and the rest of the Magical Alliance. Instead, he approached the front of the Dragon Slayer and extended his hand outwards. Natsu did the same and accepted Nullpudding's hand in a mutualistic grasp. Nullpudding stared into Natsu's black eyes and said one sincere line to him, "Thanks for keeping your word… Master Natsu," Before releasing their handshake to grab Flare's arm. Without another word, the duo turned their backs to the rest of the Magical Alliance and followed the two Rune Knights down the center isle and out of the mess hall.

Natsu's eyes widened when he realized what Nullpudding said to him. "Did… Did he just call me by my real name?"

Reedus slung his arm around his Guild Master's shoulder in satisfaction. "Oui, but don't think too much about it. We're all just happy that you were able to make things work out for everyone in the end." He paused to use his free arm to reach into his pocket for Natsu's communication Lacrima.

Natsu shook his head when Reedus tried to return it. "Keep it. Those Rune Knights don't need their Lacrimas back, so I'll just keep theirs."

Ichiya twirled away from the bar and approached Kagura. "My Honey? Since this guild hall can't be torn down, might I suggest leading you to the surface of the lake? I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now being forced to stand in the guild hall you were captured in."

Natsu's face slightly cringed at the Trimens antics. Even though he knew it was a part of their personality, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when he saw them trying to capture Kagura's attention. Natsu shook his head slightly and assumed it was because he hadn't seen her in so long. He parted in between Ichiya and Kagura in order to stand at her side. "Ichiya has a point. Mest said we could leave whenever we wanted… So let's go home."

* * *

The Magical Alliance enjoyed each other's company on the shoreline of where Raven Tail's former headquarters resided beneath Lake Sciliora. Natsu took one last glance at the massive structure before water rushed back to fill the pathway leading to the steel entrance. He then turned around to smile at the Magical Alliance. "We did it guys. Raven Tail won't be a problem for us anymore for a long time. I can't thank you all enough. From protecting me when I was about to die, to working together to take down one of the strongest Dark guilds in Fiore. You're all more than welcome to come to Fairy Tail's Guild hall to get a bite to eat before heading back home. Now that the quest is complete, it shouldn't matter if Fairy Tail knows where we've been."

Jura stepped forward and spoke for their respective guilds. "We appreciate the offer Master Natsu, but I think we've overstayed our departure from our guilds. It would be in our best interest to return to our Guild Masters so we can and check on our own guild mates."

Ichiya nodded in response. "Jura's right. We'll be able to take the train out of Magnolia Town, but we'll have to walk the rest of the way before it turns dark. It's best that we leave as soon as possible."

Natsu meekly smiled and nodded in understanding. "I understand. You guys better hurry up if you want to make the last train. Just remember… I can't thank you guys enough for everything you did. Feel free to stop by the guild hall whenever you want. You're always welcome as a part of Fairy Tail."

" **AYE SIR!"** The mages cheerfully resounded in unison. With that, the rest of the mages began to say their personal goodbyes to Fairy Tail while the sun set over Lake Sciliora.

After a few minutes, Ichiya was the last person left who needed to say his goodbyes to Natsu. He approached the Dragon Slayer and whispered something in his ear so only his enhanced hearing could pick it up. "You'd better tell Kagura how you feel before I do." The entire time Ichiya whispered, he jokingly nudged Natsu's side. Once he was sure that Natsu heard him, he turned around to join the rest of the Magical Alliance before Natsu was given time to react.

" **BYE MASTER NATSU! BY FAIRY TAIL!** " The group of mages chanted over their backs while heading towards Magnolia Town's Train Station in the distance.

Natsu could only robotically wave back at the group of mages. He was left in utter confusion at what Ichiya whispered to him to the point where he was never given the chance to react. " _That's the second time someone teased me about Kagura. The first time was Bisca back at Men and Mages, but why does everyone keep doing that?_ " He groaned to himself in confusion. With each journey he had with Kagura, his feelings for her were conflicted more and more with how he behaved as a person, and he didn't know why. " _First, it was the teasing from Bisca. Then, I have all this self-doubt to protect her… Now, it's jealousy all of a sudden and more teasing from Ichiya."_ He turned his head towards Kagura to see if she noticed his blank stare into the distance.

Kagura continued to wave Archenemy into the air as a way to say goodbye to the parting Magical Alliance. Right as the other mages entered Magnolia Town and out of eyesight, she turned to Natsu and noticed him staring at her. She shot him a warm smile while Eiji and Reedus finished waving.

Natsu's heart fluttered slightly when he saw her face staring back at him. " _Why… Why am I feeling different around Kagura? It's not by a lot, but I'm caring about what happens to her more and more. What does this mean? Why am I feeling this way only around her? Maybe it's because I know that I could have done more to save her even though I made her a promise to not doubt myself ever again. Whatever it is, I probably heard Ichiya wrong. There's nothing I need to tell her; I just feel weird around her. That's all._ " He said while scouring Kagura's body. He found himself staring at her face again which caused him to notice the clotted gash on her cheek. " _I know how to make that feel better._ " He finished thinking to himself while pulling out his Lacrima.

Kagura's warm smile turned into a puzzled look. "Who are you contacting?"

Natsu chuckled at her question by gesturing to the gash on her cheek. "I thought you'd want proper medical attention from Porlyusica. I'll be able to get her here by the time we get settled back into the guild hall."

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's** **Note:** Natsu is currently conflicted between his feelings for Kagura and what he thinks he should be valuing her as. Will this bring them closer to each other? Or will it only cause a rift of irreversible misunderstanding considering he does not know what love is? As always, thank you for supporting my Fanfiction, and I will see you in a few hours.


	23. Chapter 23 - Too Good to be True

**Author's Note:** Just as I promised! The remaining 9K words for the Christmas update!

There's a lot of plot development in this update, and it should be obvious what the next arc is going to be after you're done reading. The next timeskip is just around the corner, and after that, the return of the Tenrou group will be upon us! Until then, this upcoming arc is going to be immensely important to the whole "badass Natsu." However, that is all I can say without spoiling what's to come.

That being said, thank you all for a year of writing this Fanfiction. Without your support throughout late 2017 and the entirety of 2018, I do not believe I would have the encouragement to keep writing for the sake of enjoyment. With this upcoming arc, feel free to supply me with any and all ideas in your reviews or private messages.

The end is near; by the end of 2019, my hopes are this Fanfiction will be complete. Will there be a sequel? With the return of Hiro Mashima's 100 Year Quest arc for Fairy Tail, let's just leave it as a strong possibility when Fairy Tail hopefully surges in popularity (;

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 23: Too Good to be True**

"It's been like a couple of days. When is Master Natsu going to get back? I really want to share the good news with everyone." A female mage spoke while swirling the remaining beer in her mug. Her attire from when the Tenrou Group disappeared changed to a revealing bikini top below an unbuttoned vest. A mustard colored skirt consisting of multiple strips covered a small portion of her lower body. Her attire was finished with a pair of high-heeled cowboy boots that matched the blood red cowgirl hat rested atop her green hair.

"Calm down, honey. Remember how we were supposed to announce our relationship when the Tenrou group vanished? We waited this long so the guild can get back on its feet before planning anything major. If we can wait two years, then we can wait a couple more days." The man was wearing a long brown coat which resembled a poncho that was draped over his dark brown shirt. On his lower body was a pair of dark beige pants which complemented his western look. His attire was finished with a pair of matching cowboy boots.

Before they could continue talking to each other, they were interrupted by a purple haired girl standing behind the bar they were sitting at. "Hey, Bisca and Alzack! Do you need me to top off your mugs?" Kinana chirped the names of the two mages. Now that she was beginning to grow older and adopt a more mature figure, her new clothing consisted of a lime green blouse coupled with a long, white skirt. Her attire was finished bit a pair of green boots.

Alzack and Bisca sweetly smiled at the barmaid while handing her their mugs. "Thanks Kinana, but I think Bisca's had enough for the day. I wouldn't mind a refill though if you don't mind." Alzack spoke for the duo.

"Are you sure you don't want a refill Bisca? You look like you could handle it, and I'm more than happy to top you off." Kinana sweetly offered.

Bisca shook her head and kindly denied Kinana's offer. "Thank you for the offer Kinana, but I'm not worried if I can handle it. I'm more worried about the b- I mean Master Natsu. We were just talking about when Master Natsu is going to get back." Bisca caught herself right before she accidentally misspoke.

Kinana walked over to a keg behind the counter, filled the one of the mugs to the brim with beer, and handed it back to Alzack. "You have a point, but I'd be surprised if him and Kagura were already done training Reedus. I mean, this is Master Natsu we're talking about. You guys know how carried away he can get when it comes to that type of stuff."

Alzack sipped his beer and gestured towards Bisca. "Try telling Bisca that. She wanted to talk to Master Natsu about something important and was hoping that he returned with Kagura and Reedus by the time the guild closes up for the night."

Kinana giggled at what Alzack said. She leaned over the bar's countertop and winked towards Bisca. "So… Bisca? You want to tell Master Natsu something that's important? I didn't know you fancied him. I honestly thought that Alzack would be more suited to your tastes because of how much you two are seen together." Kinana sarcastically teased.

Bisca's face turned a beet red while Alzack burst into laughter to brush off Kinana's antics.

Before Kinana could continue teasing Bisca, the entrance of the guild hall was forced open. " **Shh- DOOM!** " The sound of the massive wooden doors being forced open resounded throughout the guild hall,

All the guild members diverted their attention to the doors and squinted their eyes from the glare of the setting sun pouring into the guild hall. After a few seconds, the silhouette of four mages emerged together from the blinding light.

Before anyone could react to the mages that entered the guild hall, one of them revealed his identity by plastering a toothy grin on his face while waving at everyone inside. "HEY EVERYONE! WE'RE BACK!"

The guild hall immediately erupted into a cheer once they realized who the group of mages was. " **MASTER NATSU!** " Everyone roared in happiness while they surrounded the group of mages.

Laki was the first to speak to the mages that entered the guild hall. She surrounded Natsu's group with everyone else and shrieked out loud when she noticed the state that Kagura was in. "KAGURA?! What happened to your cheek and arms? If Master Natsu had anything to do with this while you guys were training, just tell me. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves!" She finished by childishly glaring towards her Guild Master.

All the mages in the guild hall laughed at Laki's antics. Kagura rubbed her head sheepishly and reluctantly spoke. "Yeah… About how I was hurt-"

Kagura never got the chance to finish. Before she could continue, an elderly woman snarled above the crowd of guild members from the entrance of the guild hall. "How you were hurt doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you get the proper treatment now that I'm here."

All the guild members darted their heads from Natsu's group towards the elderly voice. Their eyes rested on the silhouette of an elderly woman who made her way into the guild hall.

Warren was the first to react to the woman who emerged from the sun's blinding light after recognizing her typical attire. "Porlyusica…? What're you doing here?" He asked while the guild's doors closed behind her.

"To hell why Porlyusica is here. Why is Eiji here with Master Natsu?! Sayuki said that he was home sick from food poisoning!" Jet chipped into the conversation.

Sayuki sweatdropped after hearing Jet call her name out. She slowly backed up from the rest of the group surrounding Natsu and crouched behind one of the guild's tables off to the side in order to hide herself. Eiji couldn't help but smile to himself when he saw her slowly separate from the rest of the guild members.

Droy was standing next to Jet and agreed with him. "Yeah… What's going on?" He added with confusion.

The other guild members began to murmur to each other from around Natsu's group. Natsu noticed that Kagura, Reedus, and Eiji were all uncomfortable with the situation. He separated himself from them to try and calm the rest of his guild mates down. The moment he stepped forward, the murmuring began to die down so the other guild members could direct their attention towards him. "Hey guys? I know everyone's really confused right now, but I contacted Porlyusica so we can get Kagura patched up. I don't want her cuts to get infected, so once she's taken care of, then the rest of us will explain how she got hurt in the first place and why Eiji is with us. I promise that it's nothing you guys will be worried about. Hell, there's even some good news thrown into this that I know you're all gonna love. Is that cool with you guys?"

After a few seconds of hesitations, the rest of the guild mates began to give in to their Guild Master's reasoning. Nab and Vijeeter shrugged and responded. "As long as there's nothing for us to worry about, I'm cool with waiting for you guys to get settled. It'll give me some time to finish some cool dance moves." Vijeeter concluded while separating from the circle.

"I think I'll join you this time instead of staring at that damn Job Board." Nab said while they began to disperse with his partner.

The rest of the Fairy Tail members began to follow in the duo's lead and individually apologized to their Guild Master.

"No harm done guys. I'd be just as worried if I were in your position." Natsu smiled out loud while watching everyone return to their normal activities. He then turned to his side and noticed that Porlyusica approached him now that the rest of his guild members began to dissipate. "Thank you for coming, Porlyusica." Natsu finished by directing his attention to the elderly woman.

"For once, I actually don't mind being with other human. When I heard it was Kagura who needed to be patched up, part of me actually wanted to spend time around humans. After all, she's the one getting into the least trouble out of this bunch." She referred to Fairy Tail's stereotypical nature.

Kagura sweatdropped at Porlyusica's antics. "Thank you, I guess? I hope I am not a bad patient or anything." She scratched her head with how to respond.

Porlyusica shook her head, reached over to grab Kagura's arm, and began dragging her to the infirmary. "Nonsense. I'm already here, so we can at least enjoy each other's company while I patch you up."

Macao and Romeo were off to the side of the guild and were waiting for Natsu to separate from the rest of his group so they could speak to him. Romeo grew impatient and began to bounce up and down when he saw Porlyusica start to leave with Kagura. "Master Natsu?! Can I hang out with you, Eiji, and Reedus? It'll only be until Porlyusica finishes helping Kagura!" He chirped while approaching the trio.

Macao followed his son and calmed him down before Natsu could respond. "I'm sorry little guy, but I actually need to talk about some important stuff with Master Natsu while he has some free time," He paused to divert his attention to Natsu, "Is that cool with you man? It shouldn't take too long."

Natsu nodded in response while kneeling to Romeo's level. "Don't worry buddy. I know I just got back, but we'll have plenty of time to hang out later. Right now, I just need to get settled in and sort some things out."

"Awww… Alright." Romeo pouted with a discouraged tone in his voice.

Reedus noticed this and began to comfort the small boy. "Pardon me Romeo, but I have an idea. How about I teach you how to paint in the meantime?" He finished by beginning to lead the intrigued boy to the guild's tables off to the side.

"Really? That'd be so cool since you're like a professional and all!" Romeo exclaimed while taking a seat with the Pict mage.

Natsu could only mouth a "Thank you" To the Pict mage before having to divert his attention back towards Eiji and Macao. Natsu turned to Eiji and spoke. "I know we just got home, but when I'm done talking to Macao, I could really use you help explaining everything we've been through to the rest of Fairy Tail. We'll have time to relax once that's taken care of."

Eiji chuckled in response. "Don't worry about it. I'm gonna go help out Sayuki. I saw her hide behind those tables because she told everyone I was supposed to be sick and staying at home." He held up his hand in acknowledgment while walking to the side of the guild hall to search for the brown haired girl.

Natsu smiled at Eiji's understanding while directing his attention to Macao. "Let's head up to the office." Natsu spoke while the duo headed to the staircase.

Bisca and Alzack had returned to the bar once the circle around Natsu dissipated. They retook their seats while Bisca leaned over to whisper into Alzack's ear. "We should probably make the announcement before Porlyusica and Kagura get to the basement. I don't want to forget and not have another chance to tell everyone now that we're all here. I think it'll cheer everyone up who's worried about where Master Natsu's been."

Alzack deadpanned at Bisca's logic. "I don't think you would ever forget considering how persistent you've been. It's up to you. If you want to tell everyone, you better hurry up before they completely split up." He gestured to Natsu and Macao walking on the top floor to the office and Kagura about to enter the stairwell to the basement with Porlyusica.

Without hesitation, Bisca confidently stood up and dragged Alzack's by his hand to the stage across from the bar. The duo staggered onto the raised platform which caused their feet to shuffle across the wooden surface. This cause all the Fairy Tail guildmates to divert their attention to stage to see who was walking across it.

A silence fell upon the guild hall once their eyes rested on Alzack and Bisca trying to regain their composure on the stage. Before any of them were given the chance to react to the duo in confusion, Bisca began to speak out loud. "Before everyone splits up and returns to their activities, me and Alzack wanted to tell you guys something." Bisca paused to survey the entire guild hall. She noticed Natsu and Macao stop walking across the top floor of the guild hall in order to lean over the balustrade to listen to her. Porlyusica also stopped dragging Kagura to the stairwell to turn around towards the stage. This encouraged Bisca to continue speaking. "What we're about to tell you is something we wanted to say ever since the Tenrou group was killed, but the past few years have been rough for all of us. We didn't want to burden you guys when it meant more to us that Fairy Tail wouldn't file for bankruptcy. Me and Alzack would have said this earlier, but we thought it would be better to wait until after everyone adjusted to the Tenrou group's disappearance. Long story short," Bisca paused for the last time so she could clasp Alzack's hand in her own, "Me and Alzack have been engaged to each other from around the time we threw that party for Master Natsu a few days ago. We've been a couple ever since the Battle of Fairy Tail, and the reason we're trying to plan a wedding is because… I'm pregnant." She meekly smiled while unclasping Alzack's hand to rub her stomach.

Without hesitation, an applause resounded throughout the entire guild hall coupled with cat-calls and shouts of approval. Sayuki slowly began to rise from her hiding spot with the help of Eiji to congratulate the two mages on the stage. "I knew it all along! You guys look so great together! I can't wait to see the baby!" She admired with her bubbly personality while beginning to daydream about how adorable the infant would look. Most of the other guild mates mimicked some form of her complement.

"Sayuki's right. You deserve to be together after everything you had to endure to get here." Eiji agreed from beside her while congratulating the couple.

"Oui! You guys have so much in common. It's no wonder you enjoy being around each other so much." Reedus agreed while Romeo bounced beside him in excitement.

Macao called out from the second floor and projected his voice towards the stage in joy. "Congratulations Alzack and Bisca! I knew that you guys seemed a little too close to each other just to be friends, but I didn't think you guys were already planning on getting married!"

"Thank you so much Macao!" The duo chanted together in laughter. "We tried keeping out engagement as quiet as possible, so we're glad to hear it worked! We can't thank the rest of you enough for the kind words."

Natsu couldn't believe what he heard. He flashed his toothy grin and waved towards the stage. "I'm so happy that you guys are getting married! I don't know how to say this without sounding rude… Buh- But is Fairy Tail invited to the wedding?"

Alzack and Bisca nearly collapsed in disbelief after hearing Natsu's question. "Of course we planned on inviting you and the rest of the guild. After all, Fairy Tail is the reason why me and Bisca know each other!" Alzack smiled to the entire guild hall.

Kagura was in complete gratitude when Alzack confirmed that she was invited to the wedding, since she was a part of Fairy Tail. She even believed that the invitation wasn't extended to her. Kagura bowed multiple times in respect and spoke out loud from the infirmary's stairwell. "Uh- I'm so glad that you guys are happy together. Buh- But do you really mean it? Am I really invited to your wedding?" Her stoic personality was stuttering in pure happiness at how close Alzack and Bisca viewed her and the rest of Fairy Tail. Despite being able to occasionally open up her feelings around Natsu, she still had awkward interactions around her guild mates when it came to relationships and personal matters. Relationships and personal matters still reminded her of her struggle to overcome her love for Simon.

Alzack and Bisca sweetly smiled towards the stuttering Sword mage. "Why wouldn't you be invited? You're also a part of our family."

Before Kagura could even reflect on what the couple told her, Kinana's eyes widened in realization at what Bisca told her at the bar. The barmaid snapped her fingers and beamed out loud. "Now I get it! You didn't want another drink at the bar because you were scared it would hurt the baby! When is the baby due?"

"Not until a couple of months. That's why I want to try to have our wedding before I look like a whale." Bisca burst out after responding to Kinana's question.

Alzack joined Bisca's laughter and even grew sincere from the endless barrage of compliments. "All of you… We can't thank everyone enough for all the encouragement. We wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for all your kindness." He finished by holding Bisca's hand while the duo began to leave the stage. The guild's atmosphere began to shift more and more towards Alzack and Bisca as the couple made their way to the center of the guild; the duo wanted to personally thank all the other guild members.

Natsu smiled at how happy the couple looked and spoke out loud before the rest of the guild members could begin celebrating the news. "Hey, Alzack and Bisca! I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that you guys are going to be happy. Macao needed to talk to me about something important in my office, but once that's done, I'll be sure to clear the air about what's been going on with me, Kagura, Eiji, and Reedus these past few days. After all that's done and we're settled back into the guild hall, I think we can finally talk about that wedding of yours."

The guild roared in approval while the rest of the guild members surrounded Alzack and Bisca in the center isle and started to bombard them with compliments and congratulations. Natsu grinned at the celebration that Alzack and Bisca's announcement stirred up while he headed into the office behind him with Macao. Even Porlyusica was smiling at how lively the guild's atmosphere was while she led Kagura into the infirmary's stairwell.

* * *

"It feels good to be back." Natsu sighed while collapsing into his office's chair. "And just in time for a wedding of all things! For once… Things actually don't look so bad for us."

Macao took a seat on the other side of the massive desk. "Yeah, you've got that right. From how relaxed you seem, I'm assuming that the quest you guys were on was enough to prepare Reedus to start taking some S-Class quests of his own?"

"Reedus can start whenever he likes, but it gets even better than that. I'll tell you the good news after we take care of what you wanted to talk about." Natsu reassured Macao.

"Well… Since Reedus is ready to go on some S-Class quests, there's some stuff I thought you should know about that happened while you were gone. Everyone was too afraid to come talk to you about it since we're almost bankrupt, but most of our guild members have been talking about our buildings."

"What do you mean? Like Fairy Tail's Guild hall?"

"That's mostly it. Most of the guild members think that we need to expand it a bit. It's kinda hard to play games, eat food, drink beer, take jobs, and socialize all in the same guild hall. Especially since we're constantly getting new members such as Eiji, Sayuki, and Kagura. I mean… We don't even have an actual training facility. We just train outside. If we ever get even with paying off Fairy Tail's revenue, do you think we could consider expanding our buildings a bit once we start making extra money on the side?"

"Actually… That's a great idea. Why were you guys so scared to ask me?" Natsu rubbed the stubble on his chin.

"Because, we have other priorities right now. Upgrading Fairy Tail's guild hall isn't as important as keeping our title. I think no one wanted to sound insensitive and ask for anything until Reedus could start bringing in money for our guild hall.

"You're right about needing to pay off our stupid debt, but believe it or not, we actually ran into a pretty nice reward from this past mission we went on. That's the good news I wanted to tell you and the rest of Fairy Tail." Natsu beamed in excitement.

"There was a reward with that mission?" Macao leaned forward in his seat in shock.

"Yeah, I was just as surprised as you are. They didn't pay us during the first alliance we had together because it was technically illegal, so I didn't think anything would have changed since then. I guess Gran Doma came to his senses when he realized the situation was much more serious than when we dealt with Nirvana."

"How much did Fairy Tail make?" Macao prepared himself in suspense.

Natsu paused while a toothy grin plastered his face. "100 million Jewels. I still have to divide the money up between Kagura and Reedus, but my portion is just going to end up going to the guild hall's revenue. I don't need to pay rent and I live on my own, so my expenses aren't that hard for me to cover."

Macao stood up from his chair and gripped his hair in disbelief. "Master Natsu! Your portion alone can pay our guild's bills for another year and still have enough money to do some major renovations to all of Fairy Tail's buildings!"

"Yup! That's why I told you I'm looking forward to the future. It'll be cutting it close, but if we spend it wisely, we'll even have enough money to cover renovations to Fairy Hills."

Macao cocked his head when he heard Natsu mention Fairy Hills. "You mean the female dormitory? I thought there's already tons of room in there for the girls to live in."

"Well… Now that we're getting stronger female mages from all the training, they're going to want to take harder quests. Harder quests mean bigger rewards, and they're going to want larger dorms to store anything extra that they choose to purchase. Not only that, but renovations would be a great way for me so start interacting with you guys again since things will hopefully run itself without us needing to worry about filing for bankruptcy." Natsu began to grow slightly uncomfortable.

Macao noticed Natsu's composure and reassured him. "I think that's a great idea. You don't seem too convince with what you're saying though. What's on your mind?"

Natsu hesitated for a few second before replying. "Even though we have enough money to expand Fairy Hills, we have to take this as a chance to start clearing out our old family's stuff."

"'Old family?'" Macao quoted Natsu's words.

Natsu cringed at what he had to say next. "Macao… We don't own Fairy Hills. Our old guild member's father does. Now that Erza and Levy are gone, we have to get there stuff out or else we'll be in trouble."

"Yuh- You can't be serious! What about all of Erza's armor though? How do we even get that out?!" Macao stuttered in disbelief.

"We'll have to bust down some of the dorm's walls. That's going to have to come out of Fairy Tail's budget though. Luckily, this mission's reward should be enough to cover the renovations as well as removing all the old stuff from the vacant rooms. The problem is, there's no way in hell the owner is going to allow the girls to live there while we're renovating. If we go through with this, the girls are going to have to relocate for the time being. We either remove all the old stuff out, or we lose our privileges to Fairy Hills."

"Having to move shouldn't be a problem for the girls. All of our guild mates are pretty close, so it shouldn't be hard for the girl's to find another place to live. Just so I have everything straight in my head, most of the quest's money will go towards renovations for Fairy Tail's buildings, and everything else can go to the guild hall?"

"That's the idea. If I mapped everything out correctly, my cut should be 33 million Jewels. 10 Million Jewels can go to Fairy Hills, another 10 million can go to Fairy Tail's building, and the final 13 million can go to our revenue. That'll keep our guild open for a good amount of time."

Macao sighed in relief after piecing everything together. "That pretty much sums up everything I wanted to tell you. I'm glad that we were able to sort this out." He finished by gesturing to the office's door.

Natsu mimicked Macao's movements while walking towards the office's door. "You can say that again. Now, I just gotta tell everyone where I've really been these past few days. I think they'll enjoy the good news that we have planned for the guild hall." The Dragon Slayer smiled while opening the office door leading back into the main guild hall below.

* * *

"Hey, everyone? Listen up! We have some pretty big things to talk about, so I need you all to pay attention." Natsu called out to the guild hall while walking on Fairy Tail's stage. He gestured for Eiji and Reedus to accompany him, so he could start explaining where he was the past couple of days. A wave of silence ushered over the guild members who were busy discussing Alzack and Bisca's wedding.

"Shouldn't we wait for Kagura?" Laki broke the silence when she realized that the Sword mage was still being treated by Porlyusica.

"She doesn't have to be here right now. Eiji and Reedus are just going to start off by explaining where we've been the past couple of days. I'm not going to do much talking… Because… You'll find out." Natsu took a deep breath while starting with the discussion he had with the other Guild Masters two years back at the Magic Coalition. He transitioned between discussing the robberies, Lacrimas being stolen, and being forced to form another Magical Alliance once a Wizard Saint was killed trying to investigate the Dark Guild behind the attacks; the Wizard Saint was able to learn that the guild's name was Raven Tai. Instead of Natsu and Kagura training Reedus, the three of them were, in reality, tasked with investigating Raven Tail's guild in Clover Town, since this was where Wataru was killed.

After Natsu began to talk about needing to investigate Raven Tail to find out their motives, he backed away from the stage to let Eiji and Reedus describe everything that happened while he was Cursed. The two mages took turns transitioning between speaking.

Reedus began to explain how him and Kagura was tasked with clearing out the basement in Clover Town, since this was where the stolen Lacrimas were being implanted into mages. Instead of finding any prisoners, the cells were completely empty. Reedus continued to explain how the Magical Alliance was set up, and one of Raven Tail's mages was waiting to capture Kagura so she could be taken back to their headquarters and used for Lacrima experimentation.

This caused a wave of horror to usher over the other guild members. The horror and sadness only increased when Reedus clarified that the reason the Magical Alliance couldn't save Kagura in time, was because the Guild Master of the Dark Guild cursed Natsu throughout their fight. "If Natsu didn't receive medical attention, the Curse would have killed him." Reedus spoke which caused many of his guild members to clasp their hands over their mouths.

Reedus then backed away to join Natsu so Eiji could finish tying everything together. Eiji clarified that the reason he was with the Magical Alliance was so he could use his Holy magic to lift the curse from Natsu. He briefly touched on Kurohebi returning to the guild hall to retrieve his Guild Master's files, killing himself to transport other Dark Guild members to the guild, and the Magical Alliance using them to find the real location of their guild. Eiji began to wrap up everything by explaining how him, Jura, and Reedus were tasked with taking down Ivan and the Darkness being controlled. "In the end… We were able to get the Dark mages to help us take down Raven Tail's headquarters. While Kagura was being forced to strengthen the Lacrima implanted inside of her, she learned that Raven Tail's Guild Master is Ivan Dreyar; the son of Master Makarov. Ivan's obsession with Lacrima Experimentation started with him trying to use Laxus as his first subject, which is why he was excommunicated from fairy Tail. He was trying to harvest the power of Lacrimas so he could secure a life of luxury and comfort."

Many of the guild members were choking back tears in relief at everyone returning home safely. "Wuh- What happened to Ivan and the Darkness after you fought them?" Warren reluctantly asked.

"Well… for a long time, we thought his real name was Alexei. Turns out that was only his alias. But to answer your question, the Darkenss was able to escape with Ivan's body. We were able to weaken both of them for the time being, and we won't here from them again for at least another couple of years. That's if they choose to show themselves again considering the Magic Council is about to notify Fiore about the type of scum that Ivan is." He concluded while joining Natsu and Reedus towards the back of the stage.

"I- I still can't believe that Ivan would be so heartless to Kagura. I don't even know how I could try to understand what she's been through." Kinana finished wiping the tears from her eyes.

Before anyone had the chance to respond to Kinana, the guild members diverted their attention to a female's voice calling out from the stairwell leading to the infirmary. "I am not going to lie, what Ivan did to me was something that I don't think I could relive again," The voice paused so a tiny smile could plaster on her face, "But being back home makes me feel safe. When Ivan tortured me… He made me realize to appreciate everything you guys do for me and the rest of Fairy Tail. It made me realize that even though I'm not over Simon's death, embracing you guys as my guild members will hopefully lead me down the path that I want to embrace one day."

Everyone gushed in happiness once they realized that the voice belonged to Kagura. They smiled in relief when they noticed that her hands were properly bandaged, and the gash on her cheek was covered by a sterile gauze pad: all credited to Porlyusica.

Porlyusica parted herself from Kagura's side and approached Natsu on stage. The old woman began to explain Kagura's condition to Natsu and the rest of the guild hall. "She suffered some pretty deep gashes. I made sure the wounds on her arms and cheeks were properly disinfected, so all you have to do is monitor her condition over the course of her recovery period. She can return to doing her everyday activities," Porlyusica paused to glare at Kagura, "But no using the sword and absolutely no combat. Do I make myself clear?" Porlyusica sternly spoke to the entire guild hall.

" **Yes ma'am!** " All the guild members chanted in unison out of fear.

Porlyusica nodded in satisfaction while heading to the entrance of the guild. "Good. I'm going home now. Just remember that how fast she recovers is up to you. I'll see you in a few weeks when the bandages are ready to be removed." Without another word, Porlyusica opened the wooden doors of the guild hall before exiting into the darkness of the night.

"Uhh… Thanks, I guess?" Natsu sweatdropped while Kagura walked towards where the rest of the guild members surrounded the stage.

"Now that Porlyusica is gone, I assume I did not miss anything?" Kagura stoically responded to how she overheard Natsu, Eiji, and Reedus discussing the quest they were on.

Natsu approached the front of the stage and smiled towards Kagura and the rest of the guild members. "Nope. We just finished talking about the quest that we were on. You're just in time to hear me announce the good news that me and Macao were talking about in the office."

Wakaba pumped his fist in the air when he remembered there was even more good news. "All right! Since we were so busy talking about the wedding, we completely forgot about the good news! I dunno how it can get better than that."

Natsu chuckled at Wakaba's antics before diverting his attention the guild members in front of the stage. "First off, I wanted thank everyone for all the patience and understanding you've had while I was on that quest. I know that I haven't been showing my face around the guild hall lately, since we've all been so busy trying to support Fairy Tail. But now that I can relax a bit, I thought this would be a great time to make it up to everyone, especially since we're all excited for Alzack and Bisca's wedding."

"Woo- hoo!" The guild hall began lightly cheering again in celebration.

Natsu began to speak again before his guild members could get too carried away. "Now it's time for the good news. Macao told me that some of you feel uncomfortable inside the guild hall because of how cramp it is with all the new mages we're starting to accept. As way to thank all of you for your hard work and patience because of me being away, I think it's time we expand Fairy Tail by doing renovations to the guild hall and Fairy Hills!"

Without hesitation, a wave of cheers erupted throughout the guild hall. " **HOORAH!** "

Wakaba thought that it was too good to be true, so he shuddered in happiness while calling out above the cheering. "You can't be serious! Where'd you even get the money to do renovations?!" He beamed out loud.

This caused the rest of the guild mates to quiet their cheers while Natsu responded. "Turns out the quest that we were on had a reward tied to it."

"How much are we talking here?"

"How does 33 million Jewels sound?!" Natsu roared in happiness while the guild hall began celebrating in disbelief. "10 million Jewels are going towards renovating the guild hall, another 10 Million Jewels are going towards Fairy Hills, and the final 13 million Jewels plans on going towards our revenue! I know that this is no way to replace the time where I've been busy, but now that we have our revenue covered for around a year, hopefully this can be a start to finally moving towards a future together!" Natsu declared while holding his fist in the air.

While the cheering began to die down so everyone could listen to Natsu finish speaking, Vijeeter began to stutter in slight denial. "Uh- Is this actually happening? Does that mean we don't have to worry about bankruptcy?"

Natsu chuckled at Vijeeter's question. "Not by a longshot. As long as there's bills to pay, we're never going to be completely out of the woods. This quest's reward might have bought us some time, but as I said before, the reward will only give our guild around a year of revenue. The reward isn't enough for us to start getting reckless again, and Reedus is still going to have to be relied on to be our main source of income until I feel comfortable appointing more S-Class mages," Natsu paused to wink at his guild members, "So don't get too comfortable and start slacking off on your training, because the expectations are still the same as ever. You never know when I could test someone for S-Class."

Just before commotion could begin over possible S-Class mages, renovations to the guild, and the future of Fairy Tail, Bisca began to speak out of curiosity. "Master Natsu? You said that our guild's renovations will also include Fairy Hills. Do you have any idea when renovations will begin on the dorms?"

"I can start calling in work orders and vendors to start in the next six months…" Natsu trailed off in slight uncertainty.

"I'm assuming there's a 'but' in there?"

Natsu nodded his head before reluctantly continuing. "One of the reasons we're renovating Fairy Hills, is so we can move out our old guild member's stuff. Now that they're gone, we have to start tearing down the walls so we can remove all of Erza's armor and get rid of Levy's library," Natsu noticed his guild mates grow somber, so he tried to change topics, "I know that it's going to be an inconvenience for a while, but if you live at Fairy Hills, you're going to have to find a temporary place to stay while renovations are happening. There's no way in hell the owner is going to let us in live there while workers are tearing down the walls."

Many of female guild members began murmuring in uncertainty at having to find a temporary place to live, but Natsu continued to sincerely reassure them. "I know this is a huge change for the girls, but just know that I'm always here to help everyone find a place to stay for the time being. Don't forget that we can always work something out to get you guys where you're most comfortable."

A few seconds of silence went by while Macao broke the uncertainty in between the guild members. "Hey Kinana? Since you live at Fairy Hills, you're more than welcome to stay with me and Romeo until the renovations are done."

Kinana's eyes began to sparkle in gratitude. "Are you sure Macao?"

"Totally! I already look after Romeo, so having you around the house would change things up for once." Macao finished while Romeo lit up in excitement at the idea of Kinana living with them.

As Macao finished offering a place for Kinana to stay, the rest of the female guild members began to warm up to having to relocate for the time being. Without waiting another moment, they began talking other guild members who didn't live at Fairy Hills to see if there was any possibility of moving in for the time being.

Natsu smiled at his guild mates interacting with one another and spoke in satisfaction. "See? I knew it wouldn't be that bad! Just remember that you can always come to me if you need anything." He finished by walking off the stage to socialize with the guild members.

"Alright guys! While the girls try to find somewhere else to stay, I say we celebrate this wedding coming up!" Wakaba cheered while a party began to ensue. Many of the guild members began to rush to the bar and crack open wooden beer kegs to celebrate.

With Alzack and Bisca's wedding being planned, and Fairy Tail being able to actually support itself for the first time since the Tenrou group disappeared, none of them remembered a time in Fairy Tail where they were this excited for the future.

* * *

"Bisca…? Is there any chance I could stay with either you or Alzack while the dorms are being renovated?"

"I'm really sorry Kagura, but since I also have a dorm in Fairy Hills, I'm gonna have to live with Alzack. We have to move a bunch of my stuff into his apartment, and we're going to have to put it in his guest room just so it can all fit. If you really want to stay with us, you'd have to sleep on the floor, and I don't want you to do that to yourself. We'd be more than happy to help you purchase a hotel, if you want." Bisca confidently offered Kagura.

Kagura restrained herself from sighing. "No, that's fine. Most hotels aren't too keen on my 'powerful magical sword that remains sheathed to seek vengeance on a killer.' I was actually kicked out of my hotel after the Magic Coalition was finished. Thank you anyways."

"No problem. Let me know if I can help you with anything else." Bisca asked with concern while watching Kagura break off from her.

The party was well into the night, and Kagura had just run out of options. She wasn't able to work up the courage to get over her awkward personality in order to confront anyone sooner. Everyone else already had plans to accompany the other female mages.

Once Kagura was out of range of Bisca, she couldn't help but sigh in sadness. Even though the party was livelier than ever, she was left alone to her own thoughts. " _What am I going to do?"_ She thought to herself while scanning the guild members around her. After a few seconds, her eyes rested on Natsu sitting at the bar with Macao, Reedus, and Warren. Her eyes slightly lit up in hope once he saw her Guild Master and remembered what he said. " _That's right, Master Natsu said he would be willing to help us find a place to stay if we ask him._ " She nodded in satisfaction while approaching the bar.

Kagura finished her trek down the center isle of the guild and approached Natsu's free side. She heard him try to finish his conversation with Warren.

"I'll tell you what, Warren. If you're really interested in becoming S-Class, I could always-" Natsu's thoughts trailed off when he noticed Kagura standing next to him out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to meet the Sword mage's gaze and warmly smiled to her. "Hey Kagura! Did you come to get some tips on becoming S-Class?"

"Not exactly. Is there any way I could speak to you in private?"

Natsu turned back around to face Warren. Warren held up his hand in understanding and nodded. "Take your time. Me and Macao have hogged you for long enough anyways." Warren spoke while smiling. He finished by jokingly nudging Macao at Kagura needing to speak with Natsu in private.

Natsu didn't notice Macao and Warren's teasing demeanor. Instead, he thanked Warren for his patience. "Thank you, Warren. I'll try to get back to you later in the night." Natsu smiled before standing up from his barstool while leading Kagura towards the rear of the guild hall. The duo opened the rear door while exiting the guild hall out into the moonlight being reflected over Lake Sciliora.

Natsu closed the guild's door behind them while walking towards the lake's shoreline with Kagura at his side. "I know we've probably seen enough of this damn lake, but it looks so nice when the moon's over it." Natsu sighed before directing his attention to Kagura. He then shook his head while apologizing to her. "Ach. I'm just rambling. Anyways, what did you want to talk about?" He finished by approaching the water's edge with her. He sat down on the sandy portion while the tips of his combat boots grazed the edge of the water. He was now ready to give Kagura his undivided attention.

Kagura joined him by sitting down and agreed with what he said. "No, you do have a point. We don't really see the lake after the sun has set, so the change of scenery is nice," She paused for a few seconds to absorb the scenery before talking to Natsu, "Master Natsu? Do you remember how you said that we could come to you if we had trouble finding a place to stay during Fairy Hill's renovations?" She reluctantly brought herself to ask out of slight nervousness.

Natsu flashed her a toothy smile while reassuring her. "Of course. Are you having trouble finding somewhere to stay?"

Kagura nodded while trying to keep her stoic persona. "I am. I've talked to all the guild members, and they have already made plans for the other female members to stay with them. I just need someone to help me find somewhere to stay, and I was hoping that you could help me ask around the guild hall one more time." She stated while bringing her knees up to her chest.

"Their answers are just going to be the same as they were before. It's not that they don't want to help you, it's that they literally can't. Don't forget that I still have to give you your reward from this past quest. Your cut should be around 33 million Jewels, so you could always find a nice apartment like Lucy's old one." Natsu reassured her.

"Apartment owners aren't too keen on the whole 'powerful magical sword that remains sheathed to seek vengeance on a killer.' I am going to have to stay with one of my guild mates, since they can trust me."

"Oh, yeah. That's right." Natsu sweatdropped while thinking for somewhere else for Kagura to live. His eyes widened in when he remembered something he thought about at his Guild Master anniversary party. " _For some reason, I still want to help out Kagura more than my other guild members. I also wanted to use the time on that mission to get to know her better, but things didn't turn out as we expected... I know this is selfish, but it's worth the shot if it helps me get to the bottom of why I act like this around her._ " He concluded his thoughts in frustration before speaking out loud. "I'm your guild mate, and I've known you long enough to trust you and Archenemy… So you could always come stay with me."

Kagura looked at Natsu in his eyes and spoke. "Master Natsu, you wouldn't mind?" She sighed his name in slight relief.

Natsu flashed her his toothy grin. "Why would I? All the other girls were able to find a place to stay except you. Happy doesn't live in my house anymore, so there's tons of extra room for you to move your stuff in. You can even stop by my house tomorrow to see where you want to put all your stuff." He began to grow somber as he was left to his thoughts. " _Now that I think about it, this is the least I could do after I let Ivan torture you._ " He didn't speak these thoughts out loud, as he remembered the promise he made to Kagura at the Raven Tail Guild hall.

Kagura couldn't help but smile in gratitude and even happiness at getting the chance to live with Natsu. "I do not even know how I can thank you. I will definitely find a time to stop by your house tomorrow."

"Don't worry about thanking me. I'm sure you'll find a way, and I can't wait for you to come over. Whenever you want to check things out, just tell me and I'll give you the tour!" Natsu reassured her while trying to contain his excitement. He calmed himself by diverting his attention back to the moonlight reflecting off the lake's surface.

A few seconds of comfortable silence passed between the duo before Kagura bolted up from the sand she was sitting on. She smiled down at Natsu and reached her hand out towards him. Natsu accepted Kagura's grasp while she spoke down to him. "I know how I can repay you." Kagura confidently spoke while lifting Natsu to his feet.

"You do…? What do you have on your mind?"

"Do you still have that sword hilt I gave you as a present?"

Natsu beamed and pulled the hilt from his cloak's pocket. "Why wouldn't I? I told you that I loved it!" He finished by gripping it in his hand.

"During that anniversary party we threw for you, I promised that I would teach you how to use it. If you're feeling up for it, we could always start now." She finished by rocking on her feet.

Natsu began to eagerly grin. "You know what? That's a great idea! Now that I'm starting to settle down again, learning to use a sword might not be so bad. The thing is… I don't know the first thing on how to use a sword. How do we even start training?"

Kagura remembered that this was Natsu's concern when she first gave him the sword, so she used this as a chance to reassure him. "As you start using your sword, remember that it is not a Magic Item. Your sword requires your own Dragon Slayer Magic to form the blade. The first thing you should do is take a stance that feels comfortable, and get used to forming the blade with a steady stream of Dragon Slayer Magic. Once that becomes a reflex, you'll be able to use your sword without having to worry about losing control over the blade." Kagura referred back to when she first gave Natsu the sword.

Natsu sheepishly rubbed his head in embarrassment. "That's actually a really good idea. The last thing we need is to almost light the guild hall on fire again." He finished by holding the sword hilt in front of him. He took a stance which braced himself for the flames that were about to erupt from his sword's hilt shaped like a dragon's head.

Kagura nodded in satisfaction at Natsu's stance. "Good. Remember to take your time, and focus on controlling your Dragon Slayer Magic to form a blade. Do not worry about how your blade looks. Right now, just focus on not losing control. Perfecting the size and shape of the blade can come later."

Natsu nodded in understanding while closing his eyes. "Alright… Here goes nothing." He spoke while inhaling deeply. Natsu tightened his grip around the hilt and prepared to transfer a controlled amount of Dragon Slayer Magic from his hands to the hilt. All hopes of forming a blade were halted when his Dragon Slayer Magic didn't flare up in the slightest. Natsu reluctantly opened his eyes and was faced with a plume of smoke huffing from the hilt where his Dragon Slayer Magic should have erupted from. The smoke began to waft into the air before completely dissipating over a matter of seconds.

Kagura's stoic persona turned into that of utter shock after witnessing the smoke from Natsu's sword hilt. "I have never seen you magic do that before."

Natsu nodded in agreement with just as much shock. "Me either…. I haven't seen this happen before." He worriedly trailed off from wondering what caused his Dragon Slayer Magic to not flare up.

"If it is because you do not feel comfortable controlling the blade yet, start with doing whatever feels natural to you. That should come first right now." Kagura reassured Natsu while awaiting him to reattempt using his Dragon Slayer Magic.

Natsu nodded in understanding. "I'll try doing that. It's probably because I still need to get used to controlling my magic this way," He dismissed the failure while taking the same stance as before, "Let me give this another go. This time, I'll force my Magic into my hand like when you first gave me the sword." Natsu retightened his grip around the hilt with slight uncertainty. To his growing fears, his Dragon Slayer Magic refused to flare up and transfer from his hands to the hilt of the sword. More scarily, at this point, it felt as if Natsu had completely lost his connection to it at this point: explaining why his magic was refusing to obey him for whatever reason and course throughout his body to the desired location.

Natsu used as much willpower to cram his Dragon Slayer Magic into his hands, but instead of lighting the hilt ablaze, a much larger plume of smoke was projected into the air without a trace of Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic being laced inside of it. Before Kagura could respond in disbelief, Natsu gritted his teeth in frustration while the worst fears began to dawn upon him. "What the hell is going on?! I was able to do this before, but I can't feel anything right now!" Natsu pocketed the hilt of his sword in embarrassment while a lack of patience ushered throughout his body, "That's it, stand back Kagura," He warned the Sword mage while taking an offensive stance in front of the lake.

A red magic circle began to form under Natsu's feet while he continued to tremble in frustration, embarrassment, and feebleness. Natsu inhaled and exhaled deeply while his emotions began to control his body. He extended his hands horizontally while twisting his torso to leverage his body. He inhaled one last time before everything went silent. " _ **DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART, FLAME LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!**_ " He roared throughout the night time sky while twisting his torso back to its original position.

He used the momentum of his twisting torso to spiral his hands outwards into the distance. Instead of Natsu having the luxury to revel at a brilliant torrent of flames spiraling around his body out towards Lake Sciliora, a massive plume of black smoke erupted from the magic circle below him.

" **BOOM!** " The sound of the explosion shattered throughout the night time sky while soot was tossed into the air.

Kagura could only watch in horror as the smog slowly began to dissipate over the seconds after the spell was supposed to be activated, leaving a distraught Natsu shakily standing in his place with his back turned to her.

Natsu's head lowered which caused his facial features to become shadowed, while his worst fears were confirmed; this was not related to the connection with his sword's hilt, this was a problem related to the lifelong connection he had with his Dragon Slayer Magic. While his embarrassed and frustrated mood began to vanish, he slowly turned around to face Kagura. The shadow draped over his face vanished as the moon caressed his body, revealing tears of emotional pain streaking down his cheeks. Natsu's eyes widened in feebleness as he could only utter one sentence. "My magic is gone."

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** How many of you were expecting that ending? As I said last chapter, Natsu and Kagura are growing closer together, but Natsu's dense and clueless nature has no idea why he feels the way he does for Kagura: even after wanting to grow closer to her as roommates. With Fairy Tail finally being able to support itself in the first time in two years, Alzack and Bisca's wedding, and being able to remodel the guild, what will Natsu losing his magic have anything to do with the plot progression? I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this Christmas update, and I hope it intrigues you guys for the chapters to come in the new year!


	24. Chapter 24 - Origins

**Author's Note:** I want to preface this chapter by saying happy New Years to everyone reading my Fanfiction! I realize it's been a few weeks since I last updated, but unfortunately, the time I have for writing has decreased considerably with the start of college again. Although updates are going to be less frequent than over Christmas, I hope you all stick around to see this Fanfiction to the end.

That being said, this is where I want to thank you: not just for being interested in this Fanfiction as much as I am, but for everything you have done for me up until this point. There are 163 reviews, 504 followers, and 425 favorites. I have read every single review, and have tried to respond to as many as them as possible. Whenever I look at the absurd amount of support my Fanfiction is getting, I'm honestly starting to realize that my writing isn't as bad as I consider it to be. All the support you guys give encourage me to write, and without it, I don't think I would have the motivation to continue. From the absolute warmth of my heart, words can't describe how excited I get when I see my Fanfiction getting more support than it already deserves. I hope my updates still continue to reflect the effort I put into not only satisfying my own goals as a writer, but also what you guys expect to read.

If you have any ideas for the upcoming arcs or any tropes of OCs you would like to see, either review or contact me, and there's a strong possibility it'll appear in this story! With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this update!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 24: Origins**

"Nothing seems to be wrong with him," Porlyusica spoke out to the rest of the Fairy Tail Guild members waiting in the infirmary, "I have to say, I'm at a loss of words right now. Over the many years I have been a part of this guild, Makarov never brought me one of his children who was incapable of using their magic all of a sudden. This is the first time I have ever heard of something like this… You are absolutely sure you have no idea what caused you to lose your magic?" She paused to direct her attention to Natsu's bed.

"No… Not at all…" He replied with a somber attitude while massaging his temples. Throughout the entire time he was being examined in the infirmary, he limited his speech as much as possible: trying to show the least amount of weakness and suffering to the rest of his guildmates.

"Well, can you at last tell me when's the last time you used your Dragon Slayer Magic?"

Natsu thought for a few seconds before responding to Porlyusica. "The last time I used my magic was a few days ago. Me and Eiji performed a Unison Raid, and it worked perfectly fine."

Kagura interjected when she remembered how Natsu used his magic inside her cell. "Actually, Natsu also used his Dragon Slayer Magic to break the magical restraints inside my cell. So, the last time he was able to use his magic was yesterday." She gestured to the clock towards the rear of the infirmary which read two in the morning.

"Hmm, a few hours ago." Porlyusica pondered while beginning to place the equipment she used to examine Natsu's vitals away.

Natsu bolted up from his bed in panic when he noticed Porlyusica begin to wrap up his examination. "Wuh- Wait! What are you doing? You can't put that stuff away. You're leaving?!" He could only stutter in helplessness.

Porlyusica winced when she heard Natsu's pleads. She reluctantly turned back around to face his bed and slowly began her trek towards it. She sat down next to Natsu and tried to make as little eye contact with him and the rest of their guild members while remained as sincere and responsible as possible. For the first time ever, she spoke to Natsu by his title. "Master Natsu, I'm Fairy Tail's Medicinal Advisor, not a miracle worker. Physically, you're at peak performance for a man your age; there was absolutely no reason for me to conclude that your loss of Dragon Slayer Magic is a medical issue."

"What are you suggesting I should do then?" Natsu lowered his head which caused a shadow to drape over his facial expression.

"Start by telling me how it feels. Are you able to sense the Ethernano coursing throughout your body right now?" Porlyusica spoke from next to him.

Natsu took a deep breath before sighing. "I can't feel my magic potential at all."

"So, the answer's a no then," Porlyusica concluded while trying to act as a mother figure, "I understand that this is the last thing you want to do right now, but unless you have someone that you could speak to who knows what's wrong with you magic, the best advice I can give you is to get a good night's rest."

Macao gritted his teeth in frustration from the side of the infirmary after overhearing Porlyusica advice. "C'mon, Porlyusica. Natsu's obviously at the end of the line here in terms of other Dragon Slayers who can help him. Asking Gajeel and Wendy for help are out of the question, know one knows where the hell Laxus is, and Cobra is locked up at the Magic Council Headquarters in Era."

Porlyusica looked towards Macao and truthfully spoke. "If those are the only people you know who have ties to the lost art of Dragon Slayer Magic, then unfortunately, there's nothing else we can do at this point but wait. I understand that Master Natsu has a fierce sense of pride when it comes to his magic, but right now, time seems to be the only thing that can be relied on to return his magic potential to its original state."

Natsu winced when he heard Porlyusica come to her conclusion. "I guess if no one knows what's wrong with me, and not even you can help right now, the only thing I can do is get some rest," He paused to pathetically chuckle in helplessness, "It's funny… It almost feels as if I'm reliving what Erza told me when I injured my leg."

Sayuki began to tear up after hearing Natsu come to his conclusion. She shuffled to the bed that he was sitting at with Porlyusica and embraced him in a comforting hug. "You don't have to act so tough all the time. I want you to know that whatever happens, you'll always be my favorite mage ever." She attempted to use her optimistic persona to brighten her Guild Master's mood.

Natsu began to tear up at Sayuki's kind words. "Thank you so much Sayuki. Who knows? Maybe I just need to get a good night's rest from that quest I was on… but… I DON'T KNOW WHO I'LL BE IF MY MAGIC NEVER RETURNS," He paused to let his emotions take control over him. After allowing his tears to cascade down his face for the next few seconds, he eventually separated himself from Sayuki before apologizing. "I'm sorry… I- I just don't know what'll happen after this."

Instead of Sayuki continuing to comfort her Guild Master, Max walked up to the bed. He kneeled down to Natsu's level and shook his shoulders violently. "What are you talking about, Master Natsu? Whether or not you can use your Dragon Slayer Magic, you'll still be our Guild Master; that's who you'll always be to us! We're here to support you every step of the way with whatever decision you make: even if it means fighting tooth and nail to get your magic back. If that's what you want, then goddamn that's what we're going to get!"

The rest of the Fairy Tail Guild members agreed with Max and began to surround Natsu's bed to offer him words of comfort and encouragement.

Porlyusica couldn't help but feel moved by the kindness everyone was offering Natsu. After the guild members began to separate themselves from Natsu's bed, Porlyusica spoke to Natsu with a hopeful smile plastered across her face. "Don't forget, I still stand by what I suggested. You've had a long couple of days, and a good night's sleep is the best advice I can give to you right now. If you think it will help you fall asleep better, I could always give you sleeping pills to take. Unless, of course, you would rather be left alone to you thoughts and see if you might know of anyone who could help you."

Natsu managed to politely nod his head in response to Porlyusica's suggestion. "That's a good idea. I think I'm going to lie down and fall asleep on my own. I'll make sure to contact you if anyone who can help me comes to my mind."

Porlyusica rested a motherly hand over Natsu's shoulder before standing up from the bed. She then directed her attention to the rest of the guild members. "If everyone is done saying their goodbyes, I'm ordering you all to leave so Macao can lock up the guild hall! Don't take this the wrong way, but I think we can all agree that Master Natsu needs some time to himself right now."

" **Yes Ma'am,** " The guild members responded to the elderly woman in unison before speaking to their Guild Master, " **Goodnight, Master Natsu.** " With that, everyone lifted their arms into he air while extending their thumb and index finger.

Natsu couldn't help but smile at the hopeful atmosphere stirred by his guildmates. "Stuh- Stop it guys. This is what the Tenrou group did the last time I ever saw them." He croaked while bringing himself to choke back his tears. "Goodnight… My Nakama." He confidently spoke out loud for them all to hear while they began to take their leave: trickling out of the infirmary one by one.

The number of guild members in the infirmary dwindled to the point where Kagura was the last person in Natsu's presence. Kagura approached Natsu's bed and sat down next to him with the hopes of being able to offer her own words of encouragement, almost as if it was a way to repay him for everything he has done for her over the years.

Suffice to say, another reason Kagura wanted to be with Natsu right now was because words couldn't describe how much it hurt her to see him in the condition he was in. The way she viewed Natsu was the same as how she would look at Simon. It was because Natsu meant more to her now than she could ever explain to him: from Natsu being her mentor, looking out for her wellbeing, guiding her, and caring about her emotional state, right now, Natsu meant more to her than she could ever appreciate. Now that she could witness how much pain Natsu was in, it almost felt to her as if Simon was killed all over again, with Natsu being the victim this time.

She widened her eyes in disbelief when she realized how much she was beginning to care about her Guild Master. Parts of her feelings were dedicated to Natsu helping her find an emotional outlet with Fairy Tail, with her realizing at the campsite in Clover Town the true reason why she was learning to open up her emotions around her guildmates. "Master Natsu? Please, don't forget what everyone told you. Get some sleep, and you could always try to think if there's anyone left who can help you. Whatever happens, we're here to support you every step of the way. More importantly, whatever happens, just know that if you're in pain from losing your magic, then you're hurting me also. It's because… It's because I… Because… I care about you… A lot." She squinted her eyes tightly, not being able to bring herself to say the most powerful words she could muster to him. Whether it was still needing to overcome Simon's death, needing to know her path in life, or some combination of both, she knew she couldn't say it if she didn't have the confidence. "I just don't want you to become distant from me. You've helped me so much over the years, and I don't want you to stop caring about us." She finished by referring to her and the rest of Fairy Tail.

At this point, the only thing she could bring herself to do was give Natsu a bittersweet hug. It was what she would do to Simon.

Natsu tightened his embrace around Kagura and spoke to her. "I also care about you… A lot… And I promise I'm not going to grow distant from Fairy Tail. Without my Dragon Slayer Magic, I'm just confused right now." Natsu knew it was true. From wanting to interact with Kagura more by being roommates, to blaming himself when he found out Ivan tortured her, it was almost as if he cared about Kagura more than the rest of his guildmates by mentoring her on a new path to embrace something other than vengeance for Simon's death. He knew it sounded selfish when he thought about it that way, which is why he never wanted to admit any of this to anyone else; he liked Kagura a lot, and more than any other guild member in Fairy Tail. But he didn't know why. Natsu shook these thoughts from his mind. Right now, he needed to know why he was incapable of using his Dragon Slayer Magic before he could understand why he felt so differently around Kagura. Natsu chuckled to himself while separating himself from Kagura. "It's getting late. You should get going before Macao locks you in here with me."

Kagura meekly smiled in response while nodding in agreement. "You're right," She paused to rise up from the bed, "Have a good night's rest. I'll see you first thing in the morning for our daily training." She finished by walking towards the infirmary's door.

"Good night, Kagura. I'm glad to see that you're already getting back into the swing of things." Natsu teased.

With that, Kagura gave Natsu one last warm smile before exiting the infirmary and shutting the lights off behind her.

While the remaining light of the guild hall was sealed by the closing door, Natsu sighed in tiredness and collapsed on his bed. The entire time, he used his enhanced hearing to listen to the shuffling of footsteps above him.

A few minutes went by while the guild hall cleared, the light from the crack beneath the infirmary's door vanished. Macao had turned off the lights, and Natsu was the only one in the infirmary.

Just as Natsu was about to fall into a state of depression, contemplating him as a person, what he was looking to achieve as a mage, and his place in the world right now, he reluctantly opened one of his eyes and quirked his mouth in slight doubt. He spoke out his doubtful thoughts one last time. "I might not know any other Dragon Slayers that could help me, but who said it had to be a Dragon Slayer? I can't find Igneel, there's no other Dragon Slayers, and my old Nakama are gone. There's only one person who I know who has even the slightest connection to Dragon Slayer Magic, but they're my only chance right now." Natsu got up from his bed, tossed his cloak on, and exited the infirmary with intent on leaving the guild hall. "Erza said everything that happens in life is for a reason, and seeing my Nakama support me just like the Tenrou group did before they left proves that what Erza said was true. I might have lost my magic, but the reason I did is so I can get it back!"

* * *

Scene Change – Magic Council Headquarters, Era

Natsu had long left the comfort of the Fairy Tail Guild hall. Because the darkness of the night had long loomed over Fiore, Natsu spent no extra time needed traveling to Era. Using the cover of the night was risky enough considering he was unable to use magic, but he had a small bit of reassurance when he remembered the Magic Council Building was open at all times.

Natsu now found himself walking inside the Magic Council Building in Era. The entire time, a high ranking Magic Council representative helped Natsu navigate through the dimly lit hallway of the basement. It was well past normal operating hours for the typical Rune Knights, but since the Magic Council representative was Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit, his position demanded that he worked the late night shifts at the Magic Council Building.

While the duo continued to walk through the basement, Natsu noticed a labyrinth of cells on both sides of the hallway. They were completely different than what he expected. Instead of resembling barred cages, the cells were made with reinforced walls which were designed to drain the magical potential of any prisoner sealed inside. The only connection each cell had to the outside world was a single, small window that would be impossible to escape through even if it was broken.

The Magic Council representative continued to lead Natsu past the maximum security cells while speaking to him. "This is where we keep the most dangerous criminals in Fiore. Don't worry about being in danger while you're here, all cells are reinforced with walls which are designed to drain the magic of any prisoner inside. As for the windows, not only are they impossible to escape through due to their size, but you've probably noticed by now that the Magic Council Building resides on a massive rock. It's impossible for any outsiders to initiate contact through the windows without our security observing any intruders."

Natsu couldn't help but be mesmerized by the amount of security. He responded by speaking the name of the Magic Council representative leading him. "Lahar, don't you think that's a bit overkill? Maybe not for some of these other prisoners, but it definitely is for the one I'm visiting."

Lahar responded to Natsu by shaking his head. "I'm the Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit. I can testify in court, but the final decision goes to the Chairman of the Magic Council. All prisoners currently in here were assigned by the Chairman, not me. All I can say is that I completely agree with Gran Doma. Criminals who live in here deserve to never have interactions with the rest of Fiore. Don't forget what I said two years back; the death penalty was justifiable for this prisoner's crimes, so I would say he got off lucky by spending the rest of his years here."

Natsu ignored Lahar's harsh opinion. "Speaking of prisoners, how's he doing? It should be obvious that he's kicking himself in the foot for everything he did in the past. Don't you think it's about time to let him go? I mean, Gran Doma isn't the Chairman anymore. He plans on resigning soon, so Org can take his position. Since Org is gonna be the new Chairman, couldn't he choose to host another court appeal?" Natsu conversed with the Rune Knight.

Lahar sighed at how stubborn Natsu was being. "I should know by now I can't persuade you to believe that criminals need to be locked up, but you can always try and bring this up with Org if you're so hellbent. Like you said, Org is going to be the new Chairman, so you might be able to make a case with him. In fact, Org needs to talk to you about something when you're done here, so I don't suggest that you keep him waiting." As the duo approached the cell housing the prisoner who Natsu wanted to visit, Lahar took the opportunity to ask his own question. "I have to ask you, what is it that makes you think he'll be able to help find out what's wrong with your magic?" Lahar referred to the prisoner.

Natsu responded without hesitation. "This so called 'prisoner' is quite possibly strongest mage in Fiore, and I know that parts of his magic trace back to Dragon Slayer Magic or, at the very least, Fire Magic. I experienced it first hand during my fight with Zero. I spent all night trying to figure out if there's anyone left who can possibly help me, but this guy's the only person left. I'm out of options at this point. That's why I'm here… Now you gonna let me in?" Natsu impatiently gestured to the sealed cell.

"Strongest mage in Fiore is a bold claim, but if you think he's your only option to help you get your magic back, the Magic Council is willing to let you see him." Lahar shook his head in disagreement while preparing to open the cell.

Natsu nodded in gratitude. "Well, since you said that Org wants to see me once I'm done, I think I should thank him for allowing me to come here. Right now though, this is the last chance I have to see if there's any way I can get my magic back." Natsu glared slightly while peering into the window of the cell. A smile began to stretch across his face once his eyes rested on the prisoner sleeping on the cell's bed.

Before Lahar began to unlock the cell's door, he defensively placed his body in between the window and Natsu. "Master Natsu, just so we're on the same page, I'll accompany you into the cell until you two have finished."

Natsu cocked his head in confusion. "I thought you said that these cells were designed to prevent prisoners from using their magic? I mean, I can see the runes engraved into the walls, so there's no need for you to guard me. I'll be fine in there by myself. I mean, it's not like I'd be able to use my magic anyways." He reached his hand out to move Lahar out of the way.

Lahar reluctantly shook his head and disagreed, further pressing himself against the cell's door. "Master Natsu, I must insist I stay with you at all times. You've observed this monster's power firsthand-"

"And I was able to stay alive long enough during our fight to still be here today." Natsu was growing agitated by Lahar's persistence to the point where he interrupted the man. "I would also appreciate it if you didn't call him a monster. He has a name. I understand that your hatred towards full blown criminals makes you good at your job, but you're stuck in the past when this 'prisoner' was being controlled by Zeref. Ever since then, he's changed as a human being. I can promise you he's not going to hurt anyone… Including me, even though I'm the reason he's here in the first place."

Lahar sighed and gave into Natsu's persuasion. He knew that there was no arguing with someone with as much influence and respect as Natsu.

Lahar parted his body from the door and used his fist to pound on it without any care for the prisoners comfort inside. "Oi, sleeping beauty! You have a visitor, and it's the first one in years. Enjoy it while you have the chance, because I wouldn't count on another one again!" Lahar looked over his shoulder and yelled out loud. He finished by turning his back to Natsu in order to press his thumb against a pad joined to the cell's door.

" **HHHHIIIISSSSSS**!" The pad scanned his thumb's fingerprint which caused the door's pressure to be released.

Once the door was fully opened, Natsu and Lahar reluctantly walked into the cell and were met with the prisoner groggily waking up on the bed he was sleeping on. Although the prisoner was distraught with having his slumber broken, he rubbed his eyes while scouring the area for the voice calling out to him.

Lahar broke the silence by speaking to Natsu, "Please be diligent of your time," He then walked out of the cell, resealed the door behind the duo, and began supervising the other cells in the basement.

The prisoner's eyes rested on the cell door fully sealed from outside interference. After watching Lahar leave, he slowly diverted his attention to the pink haired man who was led into the room. Despite being imprisoned for the past two years, the man's eyes slowly widened in surprise while a warm smile managed to stretch across his tired face. He couldn't even bring himself to greet Natsu because of how comforting it was to be in the Guild Master's presence. The imprisoned man had a toned and muscular body. He was wearing a skin tight vest coupled with baggy pants. However, his most prominent facial features were his blue hair and red tattoo surrounding his right eye. The entire time, his dark, green eyes never parted ways with Natsu.

Natsu was the first to break the quiet atmosphere by walking towards the blue haired man's bed. Natsu comfortably sat down next to him while placing a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. After finally getting comfortable in each other's presence, Natsu revealed the blue haired man's identity with a soft-spoken voice. "It's been a while, Jellal."

Jellal's welcoming smile only grew larger the more time he spent in the comfort of Natsu. "I don't think you realize how good it feels to have my first visitor these past two years. Even though I don't deserve your kindness, thank you. Now, what is it I can help you with?"

Natsu was taken away by Jellal's question. "What do you mean 'How can I help you?' I can't come see an old friend?" He jokingly punched Jellal's shoulder.

Jellal slightly chuckled. "Well, aside from my guards, it's been two years since I've interacted with outside civilization. Seeing you here made me think you needed help with something important. After all, it's the middle of the night." He spoke with an almost lonely tone.

Natsu cringed in slight guilt. All he was capable of doing was apologizing with as much remorse as he could muster. "Jellal…? I'm so sorry for not visiting you sooner. You might have overheard gossip from the guards, but it's been rough trying to support Fairy Tail these past two years without the Tenrou group. Not to mention, Lahar's still being a hard-ass with me visiting. With Org as the new Chairman, hopefully he'll allow us to see each other in the future. All I can say is that I haven't been a good friend to you these past two years which is why I wanted to take the time to talk to you as an actual human right when I get my formalities out of the way."

Jellal held up his hands in Natsu's defense. "There's no need to apologize at all, old friend. I probably would have yelled at you for not prioritizing Fairy Tail over me. I'm more than happy to listen to whatever you came for, and I'll try to help as much as possible. Just know that there's only so much I can do while I'm sitting behind bars." He finished by gesturing to his cell.

Natsu sighed in slight relief at Jellal's cooperation. "You were right about one thing, part of why I'm here is to see if you'd be able to give me advise. At this point, I'll take any help you can give me," He then took a moment to gather his thoughts together before continuing, "Jellal? I don't know any other way to say this, but ever since yesterday, I can't use my Dragon Slayer Magic."

Jellal's immediately became intrigued. His body became erect out of curiosity and even slight fascination, while part of him sympathizing for Natsu. "I- I don't know what to say, other than I'm sorry to hear that. If I'm being honest, I wasn't expecting this at all. What do you mean by not being able to use your magic?"

"Like, I feel nothing. I can't feel the Ethernano coursing throughout my body, and whenever I try to flare up my magic, it just causes smoke to form instead… That's if I'm lucky." Natsu finished by allowing feelings of embarrassment and feebleness to usher over him.

"I'm glad to help if I can, but what made you decide to come to me of all people?" Jellal was curious as to why Natsu decided to come to him; the person who killed Simon and nearly sacrificed Erza as a way to activate the Tower of Heaven.

Natsu leaned forward while his eyes practically begged Jellal. "It would have made sense for me to get help from another Dragon Slayers, but I don't personally know any Dragon Slayers who would be willing to help me. I don't want to think about what happened to Gajeel and Wendy, know one knows where the hell Laxus is, and Lahar isn't about to let me see Cobra. I mean, I was barely able to use Cobra to help me with Reedus's S-Class exam. Right now, anyone who has some ties to Dragon Slayer Magic will do, and that's what I wanted to ask you about."

"You wanted to ask me about my connection to Dragon Slayer Magic?" Jellal asked, almost confused as to how Natsu knew his connections with Lost Magic.

Natsu smiled when he saw Jellal's confused facial expressions. "Back when I was fighting Zero, you lent me a spell in order for me to defeat him and destroy the final Lacrima powering Nirvana: a spell so powerful, it allowed me to enter the Dragon Force," He took a deep breath before asking the question plaguing his mind to Jellal. "Jellal, where did you get the Flames of Rebuke?" He finished by naming the spell.

Jellal's eyes widened when he remembered how Natsu knew of his connections to Lost Magic. "That's right! Forgive me for not realizing it sooner. Not only did the incident with Nirvana happen two years ago, but I didn't think twice of lending you the Flame of Rebuke as long as Zero was defeated. Now it makes sense why you came to see me."

Natsu nodded in satisfaction once Jellal was reminded of the Flames of Rebuke. "I was hoping that whoever you learned that spell from would be able to help me get my Dragon Slayer Magic back."

Before responding to Natsu, Jellal leaned forward from his bed and peered out the front window of his cell. Once he was sure that Lahar was nowhere in sight, Jellal extended his dominant hand out in front of him. He flicked his wrist in a downward motion which caused a small of array of golden flames to form in the palm of his hand. The Flames of Rebuke glistened in front of the duo, while Jellal somehow managed to keep the spell's destructive powers at bay. "Give me your hand."

Without giving Natsu time to react, Jellal clasped Natsu's hands in his own. The flames encased Natsu's hand, traveling up his forearm and forming a scale-like pattern on its skin. "The Dragon Force." Natsu could only utter while observing the pattern on his arm.

Instead of allowing the spell to completely form an aura around Natsu's body, Jellal unclasped his grasp from Natsu's hands which caused the flames to dissipate.

Natsu was left in awe as the Flames of Rebuke simmered back into Jellal's palm. Over the next few seconds, Natsu watched as the skin on his arm returned to its original state. "Buh- But how…?" He finished by darting his attention towards the runes on the walls.

Jellal chuckled at Natsu's antics. "I assume you mean how I'm able to use my magic, even though my cell is full of magic runes?"

"Uhm, yeah. I think that'd be a good place to start." Natsu's voice was tinted with admiration and slight sarcasm.

The shocked tone of Natsu's voice was all Jellal needed to continue. "During your fight with Zero, you used the Flames of Rebuke long enough to know that they are not normal flames. Instead, they are the flames of emotion in its purest form, and for that reason alone, they cannot be suppressed. The strongest Water magic in the world will never be able to extinguish these flames, and the most powerful gusts of wind will never cause these flames to flicker. The Flame of Rebuke is such a devastating form of Lost Magic, that the cinders alone cause explosions on contact with another surface."

"That explains why you're able to use the Flames of Rebuke in your cell. It's impossible for these magic runes to stop the abilities of the spell." Natsu spoke with a low voice to ensure Lahar wouldn't overhear them. He raised his voice as he began to change the topics out of confusion. "I don't wanna sound rude or anything, but I already know how strong the Flames of Rebuke are. I mean, you said it yourself; I used them to fight Zero, and they were strong enough to activate my Dragon Force. I just don't know how that spell is going to help me get my magic back. I thought you would have known who you learned the spell from, and that mage would be able to help me out."

Jellal smiled while he saw Natsu trying to use all the brainpower he could muster to think of why Jellal showed him the Flames of Rebuke, despite only wanting to know where they came from. "Don't you see it, Natsu? The spell isn't the thing that's going to help you get your magic back."

"Then why'd so show it to me?" Natsu scratched his head in even more confusion.

"You came here to see if I knew of a way to help you get your magic back. I'll be honest, I don't know why your magic isn't working, and I don't know much in terms of how you get it back, but you made the right decision to come to me… It's because I know someone else who will know how to help you! Isn't that why you wanted to know about the spell? You wanted to know where these Golden Flames from, not what they're able to do. The Flames of Rebuke belong to another mage, and that mage's name is Rebuke. She'll be able to help you find out what's wrong with your magic."

Natsu was dumbfounded when he was told that Rebuke would be able to help him. "Wait, you're saying that you know Rebuke?! Isn't that the little girl in the stories that Igneel told me? I thought that those flames were just named after her and passed down to other mages!"

"Those flames aren't just named after her; those flames belong to her, and are still in her possession. To this day, she's still alive. Since Rebuke was able to teach me how to use the flames she created, she'd be the mage to help you get your Dragon Slayer Magic back."

"You're saying that chick is still alive and is strong enough to make her own magic?!" Natsu's jaw dropped in further disbelief.

Jellal nodded in response. "Rebuke did much more than that, but yes, those flames are an extension of her magic."

Natsu scratched his head in curiosity. "I know you don't know much on how I'll get my magic back, but do you at least know how she'll be able to help me?"

Jellal smirked and reassured Natsu. "I can't say this for certain, but I think Rebuke will lead you on a small journey to find the origins of Dragon Slayer Magic. By going back in time and understanding the roots of where your Dragon Slayer Magic originated from, maybe that will be enough to serve as a catalyst for you rediscovering your lost powers. Just know that if she chooses to help you that way, she'll be able to go much more in depth than I can. Remember, I already told you, I do not know the origins of Dragon Slayer Magic, but I know that Rebuke does. She knows the entire story from the beginning, but is very selective of who she tells it to. I've been close friends with her for many years, and she has not once offered to tell me it. However, if you make an effort to explain who you are, your relation to Igneel, and the problem you're facing, she just might tell you her story."

"Jellal, I can't thank-"

Just before Natsu was given the chance to show his appreciation, Jellal interrupted him. "Before I forget, there's one more piece of advice I can give you. I understand you're Natsu and all, but please treat Rebuke with the utmost respect. I'm in no position to tell you who she is and what she's been through, which is why she needs to be the mage to do that. Rebuke is kind and carefree, but she holds extreme confidence in her magic potential. Still, don't feel afraid to ask her questions as long as it is with respect. Once you find out who she is, you'll realize why she's much more suited to help you get your magic back. It's not just because of how insane her power is."

"I know that she created the Flames of Rebuke, but how powerful is she?"

Jellal confidently nodded his head while a triumphant smirk plastered his face. "You experienced the flames throughout your fight with Zero, so I think you already know the answer to your question. Let's just say, if the world still knew of Rebuke's existence, the Four Gods of Ishgar would have a new mage to bow down to."

Natsu stood up in complete horror. "You've gotta be joking with me! She can take on the four strongest Wizard Saints?!"

"Without using her magic, it would be a close fight." Jellal further clarified Rebuke's power with complete seriousness.

Natsu slumped back onto Jellal's bed after hearing Jellal's question. "Uh- Am I able to take my guildmates with me? I think they would make me feel a bit more comfortable around someone who can take down the strongest mages in Ishgar without using her magic." He sweatdropped slightly.

Jellal chuckled at Natsu's antics slightly. "Of course, you can take your guildmates! Rebuke loves visitors. Just know that the path you will need to walk on to rediscover the origins of Dragon Slayer Magic will have to be by yourself."

"Where will I be able to find her?" Natsu anxiously asked.

"Rebuke lives in her home country which is quite far from Fiore. The country was originally known as Dragnof, and is located on the east side of Ishgar. Today, multiple villages and towns are scattered across that part of the continent, but Rebuke lives on the outskirts of Dragnof's capital in the mountainous region surrounding the entire village. She lives a very self sufficient life, but if you ask the locals where the Northern Entrance to the mountains are, her house is located off the main pathway. The Northern Entrance should be where the tallest mountains overlook the rest of the village."

Now that Jellal stopped speaking, Natsu took the silence as an opportunity to express his gratitude. "Jellal, I can't thank you enough for helping me. When I remembered that you gave me the Flame of Rebuke to defeat Zero, I knew that you would be the right person for me to visit," Natsu began to grow uncomfortable now that the conversation began to taper off, "So… Does this mean your memories have all returned since then?" Natsu referred to his fight with Zero.

Jellal silently nodded his head. "I've had my memories ever since the Magic Coalition. Remember? You told Kagura that I was being controlled by Zeref."

Natsu quirked his mouth before sighing. "Speaking of Kagura, she's been learning to move on. She hasn't found her path in life yet, but even when she does, I'm not sure if she'll ever forgive you for what happened."

Jellal began to lower his head in guilt. "I completely understand Kagura's decisions. Sometimes, I want to meet her just so I can let her vent and face her wrath. If she tries to avenge Simon, I wouldn't try to stop her."

Natsu shook his head furiously in denial. "Never say that again. Got it?"

"Why does it matter? I'm here because I need to atone for my sins. Every day of my existence, I overhear the guards berate my actions, reminding me of the monster I really am, and they're right. How can you trust me enough to sit in my presence after everything I did?"

Natsu shook his head in slight agitation at Jellal's attitude. "I don't think you're a monster at all! Everyone misunderstands you for who you really are which is why you chose to stay locked up. What you did in the past doesn't make you any less of a mage or person, it just proves you're a goddamn human with flaws that are a part of your personality! Look at Fairy Tail's Guild members, for crying out loud; I'm still reckless from time to time, Nab can't make decisions to save his life, Sayuki lets her bubbly personality blindly control her actions, and Kagura still hasn't overcome Simon's death which interferes with how she interacts with her guildmates. There's so many more flaws that we all have, but you need to learn how to embrace yours and move on! There's nothing wrong with being a human and having a personality. None one in Fairy Tail blames each other for our flaws, so it's time you move on from yours," Natsu took a deep breath before extending his offer to Jellal, "Jellal? Let me talk to Org, and we can get you out of here. Come join Fairy Tail and be a part of our family."

"Buh- But what about Simon…? What I did to him can't possibly be ignored. Everyone else in Fairy Tail might have their flaws, but mine cost the life of another human being. This is the only way I can make up for that punishment."

Natsu slightly tightened his fist after hearing Simon's name. "Fairy Tail might never forgive you for that, and Kagura will never forgive you for that, but that's why we move on towards the future. Just like Erza said, everything in life happens for a reason. I'm never going to forgive Acnologia for killing the Tenrou group, and as long as he's a threat to other humans, he needs to be stopped. But you… You realized your wrongdoings! That's what makes you different from Acnologia. Even if you had no control over Simon's death, the fact that you're punishing yourself every day of your life proves that you're truly sorry."

As truthful as Natsu was being, Jellal knew that he couldn't join Fairy Tail. His path in life was different from the one Fairy Tail was being led down, and that was all he was capable of admitting. "Natsu, my journey in life is my own. I made the unforgivable mistake of killing Simon, and this is how I live my life right now to atone for my sins. Considering Kagura isn't completely over Simon's death, it wouldn't be wise to join Fairy Tail. That would cause some pretty high tension between Fairy Tail's Guild members."

Natsu couldn't help but smile at Jellal's honesty. "I'm glad you at least considered joining. Even though Kagura is going to move past Simon's death one day, that doesn't mean she's going to forgive you. Once she's comfortable embracing her new path in life, just know that Fairy Tail is always an option open to you. When Kagura feels ready to confront you, will you promise to reconsider joining? She's going to vent her rage to you, and it might not be pretty, but at least you'll both be able to find resolution between each other."

As much as Jellal hated lying, he knew he had to promise Natsu to reconsider a future with Fairy Tail if it meant satisfying the Guild Master. "I promise." Jellal used all the strength he could muster to lie, despite already having his mind set on his future. If he joined Fairy Tail, he knew that he wouldn't be able to bare the guilt with confronting Kagura, hence the future devoted to repaying for his sins.

Before he had the chance to explain this concern to Natsu, they both heard the sound of Lahar unsealing the cell's door.

" **HHHHIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS!** " The sound of the door made as the pressure was released.

The door opened towards the cell's interior, allowing Lahar to slowly walk up to the two men sitting on the bed. His gaze was locked with Jellal as he spoke with monotone. "Unfortunately, it's time for Org to speak to Master Natsu. Take the time to say your goodbyes, since I'd count on this being the last time you come into contact with a sympathetic human."

Natsu began to stand back up as a way to signal his departure, so Jellal took the opportunity to outstretch his hand towards Natsu's while clasping it firmly. "Remember, Rebuke lives in the capital of the former country of Dragnof. The capital is a large village towards the east side of Ishgar; you'll know you're in the right place, since it's surrounded by a massive circle of mountains. Ask the locals where the Northern Entrance to the mountains are, and her house is located off the main pathway. If you're having trouble finding her house, you can always start by heading towards where the tallest mountains are."

Natsu gave Jellal a relieved smile while expressing his gratitude for the last time. "Thank you for everything, Jellal. Whenever you're doubting yourself as a human, mage, or even as my friend, just remember what we talked about."

Once the duo released their empathetic handshake, Lahar put his hand behind Natsu's back while slowly leading him out of Jellal's cell.

Back in the main hallway, Lahar turned around to reseal the door separating Natsu and him from the imprisoned man silently sitting inside.

In the seconds that the door was closing, Jellal could have escaped without having to use the Flame of Rebuke. Jellal now knew that Natsu was defenseless without his magic, but Lahar knew that he couldn't have restrained Jellal throughout the visit, as Natsu would have objected the need. All Lahar could do was pray in fear that Natsu was right about the change in Jellal's persona.

As the door resealed between them, Jellal refused to move from his bed. He knew that atoning for his sins was his path in life, and staying in prison was the only way he could fully embrace that for the time being. " _Thank you for your advice, Natsu, and good luck on your journey._ " Jellal thought to himself while smiling towards the door. The entire time, the toothy smile plastered across Natsu's face never left during his parting moments.

Once the door resealed, Natsu's face vanished from the cell's window in order to follow Lahar, leaving Jellal sitting by himself in silence. The blue haired mage took the next few moments to reach into his pant's pocket to pull out an object that he cherished. In the palm of his hand rested a cracked Wizard Saint brooch given to him upon his inauguration; the same medallion that was cracked when Natsu defeated him at the Tower of Heaven. "I never thought I'd see the day where I would compare myself to this trinket. Although both of us are broken, we'll one day find our place in this world." He reassured himself with Natsu's words while pocketing his prized possession.

* * *

As Natsu and Lahar walked up the staircase leading to the top floor of the Magic Council Headquarters, they noticed the silhouette of a man standing at the top awaiting for their arrival.

The closer the duo approached the man, the more apparent his features became. The man was elderly, and his white hair atop his head was beginning to bald due to his age. On top of his bald spot rested a bat-shaped ornament completing the appearance of a stereotypical wizard. His beard was considerably long, and he was wearing an attire similar to Lahar. Overall, the only change Natsu noticed over the past two years was the man's aging physique. "It's great to see you again, Org." Natsu beamed towards the elderly man while finishing the trek up the staircase. He held out his hand, which Org accepted in a friendly grasp.

Lahar bowed in respect while Natsu and Org exchanged greetings with each other. "I will leave you guys to discuss matters with Master Natsu." He directed his attention to Org.

"Thank you, Lahar. You are free to leave for the night." Org gave permission for Lahar to finish his night shift while he shook Natsu's hand.

Lahar once again bowed in respect and left the floor without another word, not wanting to disturb the two men beginning to immerse in their discussion.

"It's great to see you also. I'm glad we caught each other at the right time, because luckily, I planned on staying here late tonight to help train Lahar in his new position." Org warmly smiled while releasing his grip from Natsu's hand. He then led Natsu towards his office past the massive deliberation room built off to the side of the hallway. A small frown appeared across Org's face as he managed to stir up small talk to keep Natsu and him occupied. "Master Natsu? I'm not going to lie, but I wasn't the most thrilled when Lahar told me that you wanted to see Jellal. You always have the right to visit, but him and Ultear are the reasons why we had to rebuild this entire building, so I hope you can at least understand the precautions I took when designing those maximum security cells."

Natsu vigorously nodded his head in understanding, because unlike Lahar, Org had a reason for keeping Jellal imprisoned in a maximum security cell. "Don't worry about it! I totally understand how you feel. When I learned that Jellal and Ultear were able to sneak their ways into the Magic Council, you couldn't take any risks with having your building destroyed again," Natsu then paused to frown slightly, "Speaking of Ultear, have you found any traces of her?"

"Not yet, but the Magic Council is always on the lookout. Whenever we find her, she can expect to receive the same sentence as Jellal." Org confidently declared while approaching his office's door at the end of the hallway.

Org opened the wooden door and led Natsu into his office. The office was rather simple, with a massive window behind the desk with a view of the nighttime cast over Era. On top of the desk were multiple documents which needed to be reviewed.

As Org gestured for Natsu to take a seat across from his side of the desk, he cleared his files out of the way so he could begin discussing matters with him. "Now then, I think this is the time to talk about more appropriate matters," Org paused to clear his throat before beginning to grow sincerer, "Master Natsu, first off, I wanted to give my condolences for you losing your magic. Is there anything else in my capabilities that I could do to help you?"

Natsu hopefully smiled while shaking his head. "Thanks for looking out for me, but Jellal was able to give me advice on who could help me get my magic back. After we finish speaking here, I planned on going back to Fairy Tail so I can get a good night's rest. I'm going to need it before traveling tomorrow if I'm going to find this person who can help me."

"Then I'll be sure to make this as possible," Org reassured Natsu, "Long story short, I wanted to talk to you about the Magic Coalition that we hosted two years back. Ever since then, we've had Rune Knights checking up on all the guilds every once in a while to ensure that mages are being treated equally."

Natsu attempted to smile despite being depressed about the state of his magic. "How could I forget? That's just what I wanted."

Org warmly smiled while speaking with as much sincerity as he could muster. "I wanted you to know that words can't describe how grateful I am for everything you've done for Fiore. I can't thank you enough, because ever since the Magic Coalition, I've never seen the mages of Fiore smile this much as guild members. Their happiness shows that every single one of them is being given the appropriate attention, and that's all because of what you recommended to us. Their happiness is what restored balance and trust to the Magic Council after that whole Tower of Heaven incident, and that's what's causing Gran Doma to resign soon; he was too prideful to admit that he was wrong. Without your help, I don't know what would have happened to the Magic Council or Fiore's trust in us, for that matter."

Natsu couldn't help but quiver and gush in slight happiness. "Thuh- Thank you so much. I knew that some of the mages, like Sherria, were being given appropriate attention for once, but I had no idea it was on a scale this big."

"That's one of the reasons why I wanted to speak to you. I realize how much attention you've been giving Fairy Tail and the rest of Fiore these past two years, and I was thinking that there could be an even greater way for guild's to follow in your footsteps."

"Now I've got a fire in my belly," Natsu smirked in suspense, "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about a yearly event, but it would be much larger than the Magic Coalition. The event would be called the Grand Magic Games, and it would be hosted over a period of multiple days in the capital of Fiore. The Grand Magic Games isn't in development yet, and even if it was, it wouldn't be ready to be announced for at least a few more years. But I was hoping you would be willing to help me coordinate the event once Gran Doma is permanently out of office, if you seemed interested in it."

Natsu optimistically smiled at Org's idea and spoke the event's name. "The Grand Magic Games… That sounds like fun!" His voice slowly began to taper off as he remembered his priorities at the moment. Natsu sighed before speaking across the desk towards Org. "Org? If I'm being honest, I'm just not ready to help plan a new event with what I have to deal with right now. The Grand Magic Games is a great idea and all, but I wouldn't be able to focus knowing that I have to find a way to get my Dragon Slayer Magic back. That's what matters to me right now." Natsu spoke truthfully.

Org nodded his head understanding while reassuring Natsu. "I don't want you to feel pressured with helping me at all! The Grand Magic Games is just an idea, and I've learned enough from you over these past two years to know how you would like the event to be designed. I'll do all the panning, so you just worry about getting your magic back. If you ever come around again, my door's always open."

"Thanks for understanding my situation, Gramps. Is there anything else you wanted to share with me?"

Org's eyes shot open in realization. "Thank you for reminding me! There's one more thing you should know about," Org paused to reach under his desk. He pulled out a flyer from beneath him and slid it across his desk towards where Natsu was sitting. "I know that you have to get your magic back, but I thought you'd be intrigued by this high importance quest came that came in yesterday. While the Magic Alliance was wrapping up their confrontation with Raven Tail, this quest reached my attention at an opportune time; it's a state of emergency from the capital of Dragnof, a large village located on the east side of Ishgar."

A shocked expression flashed across Natsu's stoic face while he examined the flyer. "The capital of Dragnof?! That's where I planned on heading tomorrow. How'd you know I'd be interested in it?"

"The east side of Ishgar used to be a place where dragons and humans could coexist in harmony. Naturally, I assumed that Dragnof would be where you would start looking for a way to get your magic back," Org paused to gesture towards the flyer, "The emergency quest asks for strong mages to help with the evacuation of the capital's citizens. Evacuation starts promptly the next day, and since the Magic Council is still in the dark as to why Dragnof's capital is performing an emergency evacuation, I was hoping you'd be willing to take some of Fairy Tail's mages to investigate what's going on there. This quest was originally meant to be given to one of the Four God's of Ishgar because of the importance, but I felt as though you would find more use from it."

Natsu nodded in hopefulness at the opportunity while pocketing the flyer. "Since I already plan on traveling there tomorrow, I'd be more than happy to check up on things and help those guys evacuate. Oh, and I'll definitely end up taking some of my Nakama along with me. I don't want to end up in a situation where I'm forced to use my magic but not be able to." Natsu sheepishly rubbed his head in sadness.

Org nodded in satisfaction while standing up from his chair. "Master Natsu? Words can't describe how grateful I am for your help. Gran Doma still needs to finalize the ordeal with Raven Tail and update Cobra's prison sentence for helping you test Reedus for S-Class. But once he resigns from the Magic Council, I hope that I'm able to repay my dept to you as Chairman one day. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and listen to what I wanted to share with you, and you're more than welcome to go home so you can rest up for your travels tomorrow. "

Natsu mimicked Org's movements by rising from his chair and heading towards the office's door. "Don't worry about it, Old Man! First you came up with the Grand Magic Games, and now you got me a quest where I need to head to Dragnof? I wouldn't have known any of this if you didn't let me see Jellal, so I should be the one thanking you!" Natsu attempted to act optimistic.

Org approached the office's door with Natsu and opened it for him. "Even though it was only to visit Jellal, I'm still glad to see you again. Now that we're getting closer to my inauguration, feel free to stop by my office any time you desire. Don't feel afraid to ask me for anything I can aid you with, since you won't have to worry about Gran Doma being so biased against Fairy Tail. Please, get a good night's rest, and I wish you the best of luck with trying to get your magic back."

"Thank you for being so cool with everything, and I'm sorry if I've been a bit out of it while talking with you. I can barely look at my guildmates now that I can't use my Dragon Slayer Magic. I'll be sure to travel to Dragnof's capital when I wake up, and I'll check up on it while I'm there." Natsu reassured Org while taking his leave from the office, too ashamed to even look at the future Chairman of the Magic Council without his Dragon Slayer Magic.

Org warmly smiled, but wasn't able to get a proper glimpse at the sheer emotional pain beginning to creep across Natsu's face.

With that, Natsu took his leave from the office, while Org quietly shut the door behind him. Org retook his seat at his desk, all the while, preparing for him to become the next Chairman of the Magic Council.

* * *

"Hey Kinana? Could I please order another slice of vanilla cake…? With extra icing." Kagura bluntly placed an order with the barmaid standing across the countertop.

Kinana looked into Kagura's hazel eyes with concern. "But Kagura? That's your third slice in the last five minutes. I know you loved to bake with Simon, but you're not going to get a tummy ache from all that icing… Are you?" She finished her concerned question by cutting another large slice of cake for Kagura.

"I must've lost count. Simon would always give me his dessert whenever we baked together, and I've had a sweet tooth ever since then. I guess he spoiled me too much." Kagura paused to smile at the memories she had of her brother. Her smile turned into a frown as she remembered what was distracting her for the past five minutes. "And if I'm being honest, it doesn't help that I'm worried about Master Natsu. I think I'm just stress eating at this point, and I think I'll stop after this slice."

Kinana nodded in agreement while carefully placing Kagura's dessert in front of her. She then rounded the bar and took a seat next to the Sword mage. "I think we're all worried about Master Natsu. He'll always be our Guild Master to us, but I don't know how he's coping without his magic. When Macao went to check on Master Natsu before we started training, he was out cold on the infirmary bed. I'm just hoping that a good night's rest was what he needed for his magic to return."

Kagura began to indulge in her cake while Kinana began to keep her company. Before the duo could continue discussing their concerns with each other, the guild's atmosphere began to dissipate into a deathly silence.

Kagura and Kinana turned around with the rest of the guildmates at the bar to see what caused the silence, and widened their eyes when they gazed upon Natsu slowly making his way from the infirmary's staircase. Although he looked to be well rested, his eyes were filled with emotional pain and confusion ever since he lost his magic.

Natsu noticed that the guild's atmosphere was diverted towards him, so he used it as an opportunity to walk onto the stage where he could speak to everyone at once. He attempted to optimistically smile at the concerned guildmates scattered around the guild hall, but his facial expressions only turned into a defeated sigh. "Who am I kidding…? I'm not going to just stand up here and smile at you guys. I still can't feel the Ethernano in my body at all, so my magic isn't going to come back by just waiting around." Natsu softly spoke to his guildmates.

Multiple tearful sobs began to resound from the guild members scattered around the guild hall.

Macao groaned in slight frustration from the bar while wiping the tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "Don't play with us like this man. If there's any hope at all to get your magic back, you've gotta tell us! We just don't want you to give up even if there's the slightest chance. There has to be someone out there who's able to help you."

Natsu managed for a small smirk to plaster on his face from Macao's compassionate words. Even though his Dragon Slayer Magic was missing, he knew that Rebuke would be able to help him get it back. "I'm sorry if it sounds as if I've given up hope. I don't want it to sound that way. Without my Dragon Slayer Magic, I'm just conflicted with myself… That's all. I might be sad right now just because I don't have my magic, but you're right about one thing."

Macao shot Natsu a puzzled look before widening his eyes. "You've thought of someone who can help you?" He gasped out loud in realization.

Natsu nodded his head while beginning to explain himself. "I know this was the last thing you guys wanna hear, but after you all left the guild hall, I went to visit and old friend at the Magic Council Headquarters who I thought could help me get my magic back. The friend who I visited isn't important, but they told me about a mage who lives on the east side of Ishgar who can help me. The mage's name is Rebuke, and I planned on going home to pack for a trip to head to the former capital of Dragnof. The capital is a large village surrounded by a massive mountain range, and that's where I'll be able to find her."

"Isn't Rebuke that little girl from the story you told the Magical Alliance at the campsite?" Kagura interrupted once she realized the familiar name.

Natsu nodded in response. "She is. I'm just as confused as to how the hell Rebuke's still alive after 400 years, but everything should hopefully make more sense once I meet her."

Nab decided to chip into the conversation before Kagura could respond. "So this chick can help you get your magic back, but she's all the way on the other side of Ishgar. Are you going to spend the entire day packing, so you don't forget anything behind?"

Natsu shook his head and began to explain his thought process. "I don't have time of pack for that long. While I was at the Magic Council, Org wanted to speak to me. He said that the capital of Dragnof is apparently having an emergency evacuation for all its citizens," Natsu paused to pull the quest's flyer from his cloak, "Org gave me this quest, and it asks for any strong mages that can help with the capital's evacuation. Since I already planned on heading to Dragnof to look for Rebuke, I might as well help the citizens evacuate in the process. The problem is, I can't use my magic if I'm forced to. So if anyone wants to come with me and help with the quest, we'll also get to meet Rebuke and see how she can help me get my Dragon Slayer Magic back. Evacuation starts tomorrow, so I can't wait around any longer than I have to; we'd have to take an overnight train just to get there in time."

Macao and Sayuki immediately stepped forward in unison. Macao help up his hand for the duo and spoke to Natsu. "Me and Sayuki want to go. I know it sounds a bit selfish, but since we use Fire Magic, maybe we could learn some stuff on how to get stronger. I'll just have to find someone who can watch over Romeo." He began to scratch his head in contemplation.

Natsu smiled in hopefulness and satisfaction after seeing the two Fire Mages volunteer.

Before he could properly thank them, Kagura also stepped forward and gave Natsu a warm smile filled with confidence. "Do you remember what we talked about before you went to bed? I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not. I do not care if Porlyusica said I can't use Archenemy because of my injuries. I am more than capable of helping if it means using my Gravity Magic." She crossed her arms, indicating her firm decision despite being made on a moment's notice.

Natsu began to tear up slightly after watching three of his guildmates volunteer. He surveyed the rest of his guild members, when he noticed Alzack and Bisca sweetly smiling off to the side. Natsu wiped the tears from his eyes before shaking his head. "No… Now that I think about it, taking you guys with me might not be the best idea. I mean, who's going to help Alzack and Bisca plan their wedding? They'll need help with that while I'm gone, and they've already waited two years to get engaged."

Bisca nearly collapsed onto the guild's floor if it weren't for Alzack supporting her. She staggered to her feet before staring in bewilderment towards her Guild Master. "Master Natsu? What are you talking about? Seeing me wearing a white dress while Alzack kisses me can wait; your magic can't. Sayuki, Macao, and Kagura can help you on your journey. Me and Alzack can watch over Romeo while you four are gone. I mean, me and Alzack are gonna need the experience since our baby is on the way," Bisca paused to chuckle, "The rest of us are more than capable of holding down the fort for you while you're gone." She grew serious by reassuring Natsu.

Reedus nodded his head in agreement. "Oui! Since I'm an S-Class mage now, I think I know enough about Fairy Tail to run the guild hall while you and Macao are gone."

Natsu began to regain his teary composure while sincerely speaking to the rest of his guild members. "I wish I could take all of you with me, but you've got a point. I still need some of you guys to run the guild while I'm gone, and I don't want to make Rebuke feel uncomfortable with too many visitors, especially since I haven't met her before."

Wakaba took the chance to walk on the stage before Natsu could leave the guild hall in order to pack for his journey. "Master Natsu, whatever happens, please don't stop smiling at us… Because," Wakaba gritted his teeth, as he never thought he would see the day he would say this, "You'll always be our Guild Master, whether or not you get your magic back."

Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail couldn't help but gush at Wakaba's antics while he walked off the stage. "Wakaba? Thank you," Natsu paused to take a deep breath before diverting his attention towards Reedus, "Reedus, I trust you enough to run the guild hall while I'm gone." He then reached into his cloak's pocket for the guild hall's spare key. Natsu tossed the key towards Reedus who accepted it without hesitation.

"I won't let you down, Master Natsu!" The Pict Mage declared as a way to express his gratitude.

Natsu straightened his back and spoke to his guildmates with hope tinted in his voice. "I think it's best if I went home and packed the stuff I'm going to take with me. As for everyone staying behind, you already know what I expect you to do in terms of your daily training. The person who I visited at the Magic Council said that this journey shouldn't take too long, but I'm kinda looking forward to meeting Rebuke to learn about my magic. I'll definitely tell you all about her once I'm back. The next time you guys see me… There's gonna be a fire in my belly. Train hard, and I'll be back as fast as possible. Goodbye my Nakama." Natsu confidently waved while leaving the stage.

" **Goodbye Master Natsu!** " All his guildmates chanted in unison while resuming their everyday activities.

Macao and Sayuki took the time to gather around Kagura's barstool in order to discuss the mission they were going on.

"Yo, Kagura? Who's this Rebuke chick that Natsu's been talking about? You sounded like you knew who she was." Macao questioned while leaning against the countertop.

"Natsu knows more about her than me. I think it would be better if he told you once we get on a train. That way, we'll have tons of time to talk about who she is."

Just before the trio could grow immersed in their conversation, Natsu approached the mages from behind. "Kagura's right. I can tell you guys what I know about her once we have more time. Right now though, we need to pack our stuff as fast as possible if we're gonna make it to the village by tomorrow. You guys should go home and get ready for the long train ride, so meet me at Magnolia's train station in two hours."

The three mages nodded their heads in unison. Macao then left the bar to say his goodbyes to the rest of his guildmates, while ensuring Romeo would be fine staying with Alzack and Bisca.

Sayuki began speaking to Natsu, while Kagura focused her attention back to the last few bites of her vanilla cake. "I'm gonna say goodbye to Eiji and tell my mom where I'm going." Sayuki cheerily beamed while joining Macao with saying his goodbyes to the rest of the guild members.

"No problem! Tell Jasmine I said 'hi!'" Natsu referred to Sayuki's mother's name while flashing his toothy grin towards where Kagura was sitting. "I guess I'll see you at the train station." He spoke to the purple haired mage.

Kagura returned Natsu's sweet smile. "Absolutely. I will be thorough to pack my stuff as fast as possible."

With that, Natsu joined up with Macao and Sayuki and left the guild hall together, leaving Kagura with the last bite of cake on her plate.

Kinana continued to sit beside Kagura and noticed how warmly she smiled at their parting Guild Master's back. "So… Kagura? I guess you're gonna finish your cake, and pack so you can leave with Master Natsu." Kinana jokingly nudged Kagura's elbow.

"That seems to be the plan right now. I don't usually pack lots of stuff with me, so I have tome time to spare." Kagura stated while savoring the remnants of her cake.

"You care about him a lot, don't you?" Kinana began to grow slightly serious, as she wanted what was best for her guildmates.

"Of course I care about him… He's… He's my Nak-… I mean, he's Natsu." Kagura corrected herself, as she couldn't call Natsu his Nakama with how conflicted she felt for him at this point.

"You called him Natsu that time, not Nakama." Kinana spoke with slight humor as Kagura downed the last bite to her cake.

Kagura changed the subject before Kinana could continue teasing her. She placed a generous tip on the plate while standing up from her barstool. "I think it's best if I get home and pack my belongings now that I am done eating. Goodbye Kinana."

Kinana gave one last attempt at teasing Kagura as the duo parted from their barstools. "What happened to not having a ton of stuff to pack? You should know that I overheard you speaking with Natsu yesterday in the infirmary while I was cleaning the stairwell. I dunno what's going on in that cute head of yours, but I can't wait to see how everything pans out."

"AlrightI'mgoingnow." Kagura rushed herself from the bar as fast as possible, not wanting her emotions with Simon and Natsu to conflict with herself again now that she realized Kinana overheard her conversation in the infirmary.

Kinana accepted the tip on Kagura's plate and rounded the bar's countertop. The entire time, she couldn't help but laugh at Kagura's antics

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Some important things to note from this chapter. The most important is that Gran Doma is resigning from the Magic Council, as you read! He's been chairman up until this point, but is stepping down due to Natsu proving him wrong at the Magic Coalition. Up until this point Natsu had to confront Gran Doma about everything (such as using Cobra for Reedus's S-Class exam). But as more arcs go by, the more Natsu will be able to talk to Org as he gets ready to take Gran Doma's position.


	25. Chapter 25 - Origins: Part Two

**Author's Note (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT; READ THIS BEFORE STARTING THE CHAPTER)** : This chapter is extremely controversial in some parts, but everything was included for a reason; Natsu even narrates the reason why these controversial parts were included. Although it's very descriptive at time, it's not overly graphic. That being said, I can understand if some might find it disturbing. Next chapter should clarify why I added the parts I did, and this chapter disturbed anyone in any way, please try to understand why I included it throughout the update.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I wanted to also wanted to let everyone know that college has been eating up more of my time than I anticipated. Because of how busy I've been, I plan on making chapter lengths shorter for the time being in order to update more frequently. Until spring and summer break begin approaching us, expect chapters to be around the 6K-8K word mark.

That being said, the update quality has not changed at all! You can continue to have the same expectations as you always have when reading my Fanfiction, and nothing will change until the final chapter is uploaded! Thank you so much for all your kind reviews, favorites, and followers. If you have any ideas or advice for the Fanfiction, feel free to drop a review or send me a private message! I read them all and try to respond to as many as possible!

With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this update!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 25: Origins: Part Two**

" **Shh-tuck, Shh-tuck… Shh-tuck, Shh-tuck.** " The subtle sound of metallic grinding made as a train powered through the plains of Dragnof.

"Urf…" Natsu groaned to himself as he rolled his head against Kagura's shoulder. No matter how hard he tried to comfortably rest himself against Kagura's side, the queasiness throughout his stomach prevented him from passing the time.

Kagura sighed at Natsu's antics and even chuckled slightly. "You don't even have your Dragon Slayer Magic, and you still get motion sickness from using transportation. If you think it'll help, you can lie down on my lap until we pull into the train station."

"Please." Natsu mumbled while accepting Kagura's offer. Without hesitation, he tossed his head towards Kagura's lap.

Sayuki's face began to grow a slight red along with Macao's, as they would have never expected Kagura to make such an offer. " _That's the type of thing me an Eiji do!_ " Sayuki thought across from where Natsu's head was lying in Kagura's lap.

Now that Natsu's motion sickness was improving slightly, Kagura began to peer outside the window next to her while she quirked her mouth in deep thought.

This didn't go unnoticed by Natsu. Before Macao and Sayuki could awkwardly break the silence and question Kagura's motives, Natsu became comfortable enough to talk to Kagura out of concern. "Wuh- what's wrong, Kagura? If my head is hurting your hands because of your cast, I can just sleep on the seat." He reluctantly offered out of slight sadness of having to return to his uncomfortable position.

Kagura chuckled over Natsu's soft groans and shook her head. "No... It's not that," She paused to fidget with her hands slightly before continuing, "I was just wondering about something," The Sword Mage hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Master Natsu? Did you think I was a good teacher when I was teaching you how to use your sword?" She brought herself to ask out loud.

Natsu tried to bolt upwards in disbelief at what Kagura asked, but still succumbed to his sickness. "Uh- Of course you're a good teacher! When you were teaching me how to use my sword, you were really encouraging, calm, and patient. Even when I couldn't form a blade with my Dragon Slayer Magic, you tried teaching me another approach that you thought would help. You explained everything perfectly, and if it weren't for my magic disappearing, we would have totally trained together once we got the chance."

A minuscule smile stretched across Kagura's face from the compliment she received. "Thank you, Master Natsu. It's just that I've been thinking of a way I could spend my Jewels from that Raven Tail mission." Now that Kagura planned on being roommates with Natsu in the future, she wanted to spend her money on something that interested her.

"Thuh- That's great! What did you have in mind?"

"Since you think I'm a good teacher, I was thinking about purchasing a building in Magnolia Town and making it into a part time training academy. I think it would be nice for kids and people who can't use magic to learn how to use swords for self-defense. Not to mention, I was thinking that I needed to improve on how well I taught since you have been so affected by losing your magic." Kagura finished by frowning slightly.

Natsu responded by giving Kagura a reassuring smile. "Are you sure you're alright? Losing my magic has nothing to do with how well you teach. You're a great teacher, and I'm sure you'll love owning an academy. I'm sorry that I made it seem like you weren't because of how distant I am; losing my magic has been pretty tough for me."

Macao nodded in agreement towards Kagura. "Master Natsu's right. I mean, Max owns a souvenir shop, so I don't see why you wouldn't be able to run a badass sword training academy."

"Yeah! That would be really cool to see! I'll make sure to be your first customer." Sayuki winked towards where Kagura remained seated.

"I cannot thank you guys enough for all the kind words…" Kagura sincerely smiled in response before accepting Natsu's encouragement. "But I understand how you feel about losing your magic. Losing something that you hold dear to you is much more complicated than it seems." She ironically compared her conflicting thoughts between Natsu and Simon. Just before Kagura realized what she said, she spoke over Natsu's soft groans before he could lose consciousness. "Now that you are more comfortable, do you think you would be able to tell us about Rebuke before we get off the train? I think we would all like to know who she is." Kagura spoke for Macao and Sayuki while looking down towards her lap.

"I'll try… Wuh- What do you want to know about her?" Natsu stuttered in helplessness.

"Well, how about you start with what you learned at the Magic Council Headquarters?"

Natsu began to recollect his thoughts before responding to the rest of the mages in his coach. "The person I visited said that he was in no position to tell me who Rebuke is, which is why we have to visit her ourselves."

Sayuki pouted in slight disappointment and interrupted the duo. "Oh, c'mon... We waited the entire train ride for you to get comfortable enough to speak, and you're not gonna tell us anything about her?" She finished with a groan.

Natsu used all the strength he could muster to shake his head. "It's not that. I'm just saying I might not know as much as you'd hope for. What I do know is that Rebuke is insanely powerful. So powerful, that the Four Gods of Ishgar wouldn't be able to keep up with her in a battle." He spoke with complete seriousness.

"Nuh- No… You're joking with me." Kagura's eyes widened in surprise.

Macao began to cower in his seat slightly. "Damn. You know what? I think I'm having second thoughts about this quest we're heading on. Let's just help with he evacuation, and hope the village is enough to get your magic back." He finished by sweatdropping slightly.

Sayuki's eyes began to glisten. "Are you kidding, Macao?! We totally have to meet her now! You'd better watch out Master Natsu, I think I might have a new favorite mage." She finished by teasing Natsu.

Natsu shot a comedic glare towards Sayuki in response. "You're lucky I can't move," He paused to refer back to Kagura's question about Rebuke, "Other than Rebuke's crazy power, she's supposed to have a carefree personality, but she also takes extreme pride in her magic, so I was told we all have to treat her with respect. She lives in the Northern Mountain range looking over the rest of the capital, and her house is supposed to be off the main pathway."

Kagura couldn't help but chuckle at Natsu's description of Rebuke. "Now that you mention it, she sounds a bit like you. She might be carefree and maybe a bit reckless, but she's super sweet and cares a lot about her magic." She warmly smiled towards Natsu's head on her lap, all the while reflecting on the traits she adored about Natsu.

"You think so?" Natsu used all the power he could muster to ponder about what Kagura said.

"I know so," Kagura paused to subconsciously rub Natsu's hair in reassurance, "When Rebuke finds out how much you two have in common, then she's definitely going to tell you her story. That way, you will be able get your magic back."

Before she got the chance to realize her reflexive hand movements, the sound of the train's intercom interrupted her from the trance she was in. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now entering Terminal East. This is the last train station on Ishgar's railways. Please stay in your coaches until the train has come to a complete stop. If you still need to connect with a different location, please refer to one the carriages awaiting at Terminal East. Thank you for traveling with us, and we hope to see you again." The female train attendant's voice cut out.

Macao looked out the window towards the approaching train station in the middle of the meadows. "I guess we're approaching the final stop. Dragnof's capital shouldn't be too far from here, but the lady said we're gonna have to take carriage." Macao stood up with Sayuki while the duo began to gather their belongings from the compartments above.

"'Carriage?' Please, spare me.'" Natsu groaned in agony while passing out from Macao even mentioning the form of transportation.

Kagura could only pet Natsu's head in comfort while Sayuki and Macao burst into an array of laughter.

* * *

"Hey Mister! You have any reason for going to Dragnof? It's been unusually quiet there today." A man tried to converse with his passengers from the front of the carriage he was navigating.

"Uh- It's for a quest that I'm on with my team. And what do you mean by 'its been quiet?'" Natsu groaned from Kagura's lap.

"Dragnof's capital usually gets a lot of bustle throughout the day! I haven't had a single one of my regulars contact me for a ride, and I usually have dozens lined up just waiting for me to take them to the train station!"

Macao interjected and yelled over the moving carriage, so Natsu could save his energy from forming a response. "Dragon's capital is preparing for an emergency evacuation, so that's probably why you haven't gotten any customers today! It kinda makes sense when you think about it!"

This time, the carriage driver yelled out loud towards Macao. "I get where you're coming from, but shouldn't people try to get away from the village during an evacuation? If anything, I thought I was going to have my hands completely full today." The man ended his response by slowly easing the carriage to a halt.

Even with Natsu's head resting on Kagura's lap, he was so affected by his motion sickness, that he failed to notice the carriage slowly approach a massive incline leading up to a formation of mountains.

Macao then cocked his eyebrow while peering out the window of the motionless carriage. "We actually don't know much about why Dragnof's capital is evacuating, but we'll tell you everything we learn on our way back."

The carriage man turned around and noticed the confused look plastered on Macao's face. "Thanks for offering to fill me in, but I've got a bit of bad news for you…" The man paused to gesture to the rocky pathway leading up the steep incline, "This is as far as the carriage will go. It's too dangerous to try and maneuver over these mountains: especially with your friends motion sickness. On foot, it should take you a couple of minutes to climb the mountain. But once you're at the top, you should see a beautiful view of the village surrounded by all the mountains. Right now, we're at the southern entrance, so the northern mountains should be all the way in front of you once you're at the top."

While Natsu lifted his head off Kagura's lap to drag himself out of the carriage, the rest of the mages smiled at the carriage driver's kindness. "Thanks for the ride sir." Sayuki expressed her gratitude by leading Macao and Kagura of the carriage, so she could pay the driver.

The carriage driver tipped his hat slightly and thanked the young Fire mage for the payment. "You all have a safe travel now, and make sure your friend over there makes it to the top for me." He extended his concerns towards Natsu's motion sickness before navigating the carriage around the group in order to direct it back towards the train station.

As the carriage slowly began to dissipate into the distant horizon, Natsu regained his bearings enough for him to kiss the ground in satisfaction, "I'll never ride another form of transportation again," He sighed in relief while standing up to join the rest of the group.

Sayuki sarcastically rolled her eyes at Natsu's hollow claim. "You say that."

All the while, Macao chuckled in slight amusement while Kagura shook her head at Sayuki's antics. Natsu could only blush in embarrassment while pretending to ignore Sayuki's comment by beginning to lead the group up the rocky pathway.

* * *

The trek up the mountain was slow and filled with light conversation. A couple minutes had already passed, and Natsu had grown more than impatient with wanting to rediscover the origins of his magic. But he had to maintain a slower pace for Kagura's sake; he knew he couldn't strain her body considering the cast she was in.

As Natsu led the group of mages up the last bit of rocky pathway merging with the top of the southern mountains, his nose reflexively twitched as it picked up the faint scent of smoke in the distance. "Hmm… You guys smell that? That smoke must mean there's a barbecue." He licked his lips while trying to peer his head over the remainder of the mountains.

"You lost your Dragon Slayer Magic, there's an emergency evacuation, and all you can think about is food?" Macao deadpanned at Natsu's prioritization.

Natsu turned his back to the peak overlooking the village that they were traveling towards. He brought himself to optimistically smile to his group while speaking out loud. "C'mon, Old Man. We're gonna need to fill up on something if we're gonna help these civilians evacuate. Who knows? Maybe we'll meet Rebuke in the village trying to help everyone out!" As Natsu began to backpedal towards the plateau overlooking the village beneath the mountain range, he failed to notice that the facial expressions of his group members slowly changed from hopeful, to a deathly terror looming over their bodies. Their confident strides turned into that of labored shuffles, as their eyes rested on the state of the village before them.

Natsu continued to remain oblivious to their actions. Instead, he extended his hands to his sides and spoke out loud with his confident persona. "This is it guys," He paused to turn around and overlook the village below the group, "After damn near dying from traveling all the way out here, it'll all be worth it in the end… Welcome to Drag-… Oh, no." Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief, confusion, and terror as he stumbled towards the ledge of the plateau.

The northern mountain range continued to tower above the rest of the surroundings in the background. However, towards the center of the bowl where the village was supposed to be built, various massive craters laid in place of where the man made structures should have stood. Wood and cobblestone that managed to withstand whatever caused the initial impact blasts were tossed into burning piles of rubble. The setting sun behind the northern mountains caused the remaining rays of light to shine on the ash cascading in the air: only causing more soot to gather on the scorched ground.

As Natsu stumbled at the chaotic sight before him, the quest's flyer he received from Org freed itself from his cloak. The flyer fluttered with wind in front of the group, and all Natsu was capable of doing was reaching out to grab the flyer in a trance like state. Natsu robotically scanned the flyer and compared his expectations of Dragnof to the sight before him. The entire village was completely decimated when compared to the image found on his quest's flyer. Dragnof was gone.

Natsu slowly shook his head in disbelief. He took a large whiff of air in an attempt to calm himself, but winced as the pungent smell of smoke and destruction entering his nostrils. All he was capable of doing was fall to his knees in horror at the sight before him. "This… This isn't what I meant by barbecue. Wuh- What the hell happened here?" His voice quivered while he overlooked the destroyed village. The more his nose began to register the scent of the scorch marks and smoke fuming from the collapsed circle of buildings, the more his senses began to detect a slightly metallic odor beginning to dawn upon his mind.

Natsu whiffed one last time in an attempt to recognize the metallic scent, but to no avail. Still confused as to what the smell was, he peered further into the remnants of the village to see if his sight could identify the source. After he refocused on the destroyed village, Natsu's eyes widened when he realized what was causing the disturbing aroma around him. Scattered across the village and buried beneath the majority of buildings were the corpses of Dragnof's citizens. Their bloodied masses caused the sharp scent of blood to reek throughout the air, which only caused Natsu to grow nauseous.

Natsu immediately diverted his gaze away from the horrific sight before him as his chest began to hyperventilate from the unsightly mess. He had never seen so much death in his life: none of his group members had.

Macao clutched his hair while Sayuki clasped her mouth with tears in her eyes. Kagura knelt to Natsu's level and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Master Natsu… We had no way of knowing this. Whatever was here, this has to be why the capital needed to evacuate. We have to get down there and check if there are any survivors."

"I- I can't… I can't go down there." Natsu furiously shook his head at the horrendous sight below him.

Sayuki began to choke back tears while agreeing with Kagura. "Mu- Master Natsu? Kuh- Kagura's right. If someone's hurt down there, we've gotta help them out."

Macao agreed with the duo while he began to regain his bearings. He began to peer further into the chaos below while remaking on an unbelievable feat. "I think you guys might be onto something! There's still something alive down there. It looks like a freaking Cherry Blossom tree!" Macao gestured to the center of the village. Miraculously, the circular formation of craters had surrounded a Cherry Blossom tree with its frail leaves dancing in the hollow wind. It was the only thing contrasting from the brutality surrounding the remnants of the village.

Natsu focused his vision towards the tree and lowly spoke in confusion. "Yuh- You're right. How the hell is that tree still standing?"

Before Natsu was given the opportunity to begin hyperventilating at the destruction of the village, Kagura began to lift Natsu to his feet with extreme caution. Not only was she trying to avoid causing pain to course throughout her cast bound arms, but she didn't want here Guild Master to divert his attention to the scattered corpses.

Instead of scanning the destroyed village below him, Natsu accepted Kagura's assistance by grasping her hand and rising to his feet. He buried his forehead into Kagura's shoulder while a dark shadow draped over his facial features. He couldn't bear to wittiness more of the death surrounding the destroyed village, even if Kagura tried to shield him from the grief continuing to ache inside of him.

Kagura looked down towards Natsu's sides and loosely grabbed his wrist with her hand poking out the end of her cast. The Sword mage spoke to Natsu with as much sincerity as she could muster while surveying Macao and Sayuki's darkened facial expressions. "We should do this one step at a time. We need to head to that Cherry Blossom tree, and see if we can find any survivors on the way there."

After feeling Kagura's warm grip around his wrist and realizing how much she was trying to protect his emotional pain, Natsu gave into her persuasion while agreeing with her. He separated form her body before reluctantly complying. "Uh- Okay. Finding survivors should be our main focus right now. We'll have to listen out for anyone who's still alive with my enhanced hearing… Whatever you do, just don't look up." Natsu referred to the scattered corpses below them.

Macao and Sayuki reluctantly nodded in understanding at their Guild Master's reasoning. The two Fire mages approached Natsu and Kagura's sides while linking all their hands together. The mages took collective breath in unison before Natsu lowered his gaze to the ground. With that, he carefully led his group members down the rocky pathway into the southern entrance of the capital.

* * *

All the mages followed Natsu and heeded his warning. They kept their gazes lowered and tunneled their vision towards the ground ahead of them. Navigating the barren streets wasn't an issue, as all the destruction was where the buildings should have stood. No one turned their heads to speak to each other. After all, they couldn't bring themselves to lift their to view the chaos around them, so they were solely relying on Natsu's enhanced hearing to recognize the voice of any survivors as they approached the Cherry Blossom tree at the center of the village.

Their tunneled vision towards their feet helped in the sense that none of them plunged into the massive craters merging with the pathways; they would instead make a complete beeline away from them, not wanting to know if the unfortunate corpse of a victim was lying within one.

As they began to approach the Cherry Blossom tree lying in front of them, a slight rustling could be head coming from between the roots. The soft noise caused Natsu ears to twitch while he forced himself to lift his head in hopefulness. " _Someone could still be alive_." He thought to himself in pure hopefulness. At this point, he could care less about the destruction around him as long as there was a chance to save someone from the wreckage.

As his eyes rested at the base of the beautiful tree's roots, Natsu's facial expressions of relief and happiness contorted into a teary form of dread. Beneath the safety of the Cherry Blossom tree rested an adolescent girl around the age of Romeo. The girl's head was nestled into the crook of her neck while her long, black hair cascaded down her lower back. Her hands were shivering in pain over a large gash through her skin which tore into the white t-shirt she was wearing; drips of blood weaved their way through her weakened fingers, drenched the torn area of her white shirt, and began to patter down towards her blue skirt.

The four mages widened their eyes in disbelief at the state of the girl and immediately bolted to where she had propped herself against the tree's trunk.

Sayuki slowly shook her head in horror as she noticed that the young girl's eyes were closed and void of movement. "Guh- Guys? I don't think she's moving anymore…"

Natsu increased his pace as fast as he could when he noticed Sayuki's voice fearing the worst. He used his momentum to slide across the pathway while positioning himself right beside the young girl. He smoothly pressed his fingers against the side of the girl's fragile neck in hopes of sensing her pulse. After a few seconds of nerve wracking patience, Natsu's eyes dilated in fear as he felt the girl's pulse rapidly beating in desperation of keeping her alive. "She's still alive, but her heart is beating like crazy for some reason." He paused to remove his fingers resting on the girl's neck.

Macao examined the girl's condition and commented on Natsu's growing fears. "She's going into shock then. We've gotta take care of that wound, or else her hearts just gonna give out." He winced while removing the girl's hands from her abdomen.

The mages were so occupied with examining the girl's condition that they failed to notice her eyes flutter open. The girl parted her lips to speak while stuttering in pain. "Puh- Please… Help me… It hurts so much right now… Does that mean I'm going to die?" The girl softly croaked in fear with an exotic accent tinting her voice.

Sayuki covered her mouth in terror once she realized the girl was still conscious. She reluctantly held out her hand towards the girl's face and stroked her black hair in comfort. "We're going to do everything we can to help you. I promise that you're going to be fine." Her eyes began to tear up in sympathy.

Natsu nodded in agreement while succumbing to the same emotions. "She's right. We're from a really strong guild in Fiore, and we're all here to help you."

"Yuh- You guys are from Fiore? I heard the guilds there are super strong… Please. Just make it stop hurting. I've never been hurt this much in my life." The girl began to whimper while her black eyes began to gloss over in tears. Since the four mages were from Fairy Tail, she now understood why they were the only ones in the village still alive, but all the girl could do at this point was beg for their help.

Macao, Sayuki, Kagura, and Macao immediately began to dart their heads between one another in hopes that one of them knew how to provide medical attention for the helpless girl's exposed wound.

The desperate stares from one another was enough for them to realize that none of them knew of a way to tend for a wound of this magnitude. Natsu was the first one to break the silence once the mages realized none of them knew how to perform proper medical attention. He turned his head to Macao and began shaking his shoulders violently. "What the hell do we do? You said it yourself, Old Man; she's bleeding out. She can't even cover her gash properly," He paused to gesture to the blood profusely weaving its way through her fingers, "Someone's gotta close it up for her."

They reluctantly diverted their attention back to the waiting girl and noticed that Natsu was right; the girl's fingers were coated in dried blood and her arms rested at her side. She was so weak, that she couldn't even lift her hands to her abdomen to stop the blood flow.

"Urgh.. Ugh…" She helplessly attempted to bring herself to cover the gash across her center mass, but to no avail. Natsu noticed the girl's desperate struggles and fumbled next to her while using his own hands to press against her the gash. The girl wheezed from the sudden pressure while staring blankly into Natsu's teary gaze.

Natsu once again darted his head backwards towards his comrades while desperately hoping one of them would volunteer to help the girl. Macao reluctantly approached the duo while avoiding locking gazes with the small girl. He rested both his hands on Natsu's shoulders and spoke with as much seriousness as possible. "Muh- Master Natsu… None of us know how to stitch up a wound like that… You're the only one here that can help her."

"And how do you expect me to do that?! I'm not exactly Porlyusica!" Natsu's voice cracked in emotional pain.

Macao gritted his teeth before continuing. Without a word, he held up his right hand and snapped his fingers which caused a small purple flame to project from his palm.

At first, the mages cocked their heads to the side from witnessing Macao's magic. After a few seconds though, a frightening realization dawned upon them which caused Natsu to slowly shake his head. "No… I can't…" Natsu responded to Macao's gesture with a quiver in his voice. Kagura and Sayuki both had similar expressions of dread plastered across their face as they watched Macao flare up his magic.

The entire time, the injured girl innocently watched from where she was incapacitated. She was too young to understand what the mages were inferring.

Macao lowered his head and lowly clarified what Natsu had to do. "Master Natsu… You've gotta cauterize her wound." Macao paused to look towards Sayuki. She was shivering uncontrollably and was in no condition to administer any kind of aid. "There's no one else who's alive in this village who can help us, and Sayuki's in no condition to try and help. If you don't do this… We're not going to have enough time to take her to Rebuke." He referred to the bleeding girl.

Natsu clasped harder onto the small girl's wound while vigorously shaking his head back and forth. "Nuh- No… I can't do that to her! Not to mention, it's your magic in the first place. You should be the one to do it." Natsu sighed in slight relief, as he would hope his reasoning would be enough for Macao to use his magic to stop the girl's bleeding.

Macao shook his head while cowering slightly. "Master Natsu… She reminds me of Romeo. I can't bring myself to do it." Macao sobbed slightly while his flames began to dissipate back into his hand's palm. He was beginning to lose his composure similar to how Sayuki was.

Natsu grimaced at the pain of the young girl. He darted his head in between the purple flames beginning to disappear from Macao's hands and the profuse bleeding coming from the girl's wounds. Similar to how he saved Kagura from her cell in Raven Tail's guild, he knew he wouldn't like the outcome of having to cauterize her wound, but it would be worth it if it meant helping someone in need.

"Give me your magic then!" Natsu barked while removing a hand off of the small girl's wound. He then forcefully clasped Macao's hand in his own while the purple flames began to encase Natsu's body.

The small girl began to eye the two mages out of curiosity. "Muh- Mister? What are you going to do with that purple fire?" The girl weakly spoke while watching Natsu separate his hand from Macao only to transfer the purple flames to his hands.

A dark shadow began to cover Natsu's face while tears of anguish and sympathy began to patter on the dirt below. The girl's fragile accent only caused more conflicting emotions to clash with Natsu's pain associated with saving her life; Natsu couldn't bring himself to even speak to the young girl.

Sayuki and Kagura noticed Natsu's hurt persona, so the duo gathered on both sides of the young girl and spoke to her with as much compassion as possible. "You're hurt really badly. We know how to save you, but it's going to sting a little bit." Sayuki stopped speaking so she could tear open the girl's shirt: exposing her upper body and allowing Natsu access to the large wound. Sayuki then grabbed onto one of the girl's hands, while Kagura repositioned her cast so she could grab the other one, "No matter how much it hurts, just hold onto our hands as tight as possible and don't stop speaking."

"Uh- I'm scared." The girl whimpered while watching Natsu's shadowed face staring at the purple flames surrounding his hands. She could feel the heat from the flames looming over her body now.

Macao rested his hand on Natsu shoulder while whispering into his ear. "Stuh- Start whenever you think she's distracted. It'll hopefully relieve some of her tension and ease the pain." This was all the advise he could give to Natsu at this point.

With that, Kagura and Sayuki sweetly smiled at the girl while rubbing her respective hands. "Don't worry about what he's doing. All you need to look at is the pretty sun behind the mountains." Sayuki paused to optimistically gesture towards the sun's beautiful glare casting over the mountain range. Once she was sure that the young girl was mesmerized by the scenery, she continued speaking. "Can you start by telling us about who you are and what happened to your village?" Sayuki asked as a way to further take the girl's mind off the pain that would soon follow.

The girl reluctantly nodded while slowly relieving the tension throughout her body. "Muh- My name is Akagi, and I born under this Cherry Blossom tree. When I found out that my village was being attacked, I came to this tree since I always come here when I'm feeling sad." She spoke in a trance like state, being captivated by the pulchritude of the setting sun behind the Northern Mountains.

"Akagi? That's a beautiful name," Sayuki began to tear up while she could feel the heat of the purple flames increase in intensity. She positioned herself in front of Akagi's face and stared directly into her eyes, so Akagi's view would be blocked from her wound. "Hey, you don't have to look at the mountains anymore. Can you tell me what color my eyes are? Look really closely though, because it might be hard to see since the sun is setting."

Natsu's hands were now looming over the small girl's wounds while tears freely poured down his cheeks. He noticed Sayuki do everything to distract Akagi, so he knew he needed to take action while he had the chance. With that, he closed his eyes as tight as possible in order to take the time to regain his composure.

For the next few moments, everything went silent. Sayuki had stopped speaking so Akagi could have the opportunity to scan her eyes: desperately trying to identify the color of her iris.

But once Natsu's moments of hesitation were out of the way, the deathly silence shrouding the village was shattered as Natsu pressed his blistering palms against Akagi's bleeding wounds causing the purple flames to rage freely.

Sayuki immediately bit her tongue as hard as her body would allow after seeing Akagi's reaction change in front of her. The tranquil and curious nature of Akagi's eyes turned to that of anguish, agony, and slight torture of not being able to move; at that moment, Akagi never got the chance to tell Sayuki the color of her eyes.

" **HHHHIIIISSssssss!** " The sound of the Akagi's wound being cauterized punctured the air. The smell of caramelizing blood immediately filled the noses of the mages. All the while, Macao could only bury his gaze into Natsu's shoulders. He was just as effected as Natsu was from the physical pain they were inflicting on Akagi, and none of them could bare to bear witness what the young girl had to endure.

" **AAAAAAUUUUCCCCCHHhhhhhhh!"** Akagi's shrieks filled the village while the intense heat welded her wound together. She was so weak from all the blood loss that she had no physical strength left to contort her body out of reflex. Her shrieks could only taper off as her body dipped in and out of consciousness without warning.

At this point, there was no turning back for any of them. Over the next few seconds, streaks of purple flames shot up into the air around the group and clashed with the pink horizon of the setting sun. The whooshing sound of the flames echoed throughout the late afternoon and merged with Akagi's screeches.

As pure adrenaline began to course throughout Akagi's body, she once again regained consciousness to only stare into Sayuki's eyes. Could this much pain truly be equivalent to saving her life? She couldn't even bring herself to ask this question to Sayuki. Although the pain of her wound was mitigated with the adrenaline beginning to course throughout her body, it was only enough to allow her to regain the reflex to scream. "MAKE IT STOP! IT HURTS SO MUCH!" She howled at the top of her lungs.

Sayuki clasped the girl's hands and softly spoke to her while her tears streaked her face. "I know it hurts Akagi. Tell me who did this to you so we can help you find the bad guys! Then the pain will all be over!" She began to yell in emotional distress over Akagi's pleads.

"DUH- DRAGONS! THEY RAIDED MY VILLAGE AND HURT EVERYONE!" She shrieked in trauma or reliving the pain of her wound further enhanced by its cauterization.

After hearing how Dragnof's capital was destroyed, looks of terror and utter shock plastered across the mage's faces when they realized that Akagi was being serious.

Before any of them could respond out of sympathy for everything Akagi was enduring or even ponder about dragons invading Dragnof's capital, her head began to slump backwards for the last time from the overwhelming pain. Her body began to grow still, as she was reluctant to continue explaining the circumstances of dragons raiding her village; her thoughts were if she stopped speaking, maybe it would allow her to fall unconscious and end the nightmarish scene she was placed in.

However, with each passing moment, the seemingly unending pain from the cauterization began to taper off.

While the last of the searing pain began to lift off of Akagi's wound, her thoughts began to dip in and out of consciousness for the last time; she barely had the strength to speak at this point. The traumatic experience of her village being destroyed coupled with Natsu fusing the remainder of her skin together would have been enough shock to kill her right there, but Akagi brought herself to speak to Sayuki one last time if it meant Sayuki would keep her promise in ending the hellish agony. "Uh- I swear… It's not my fault the village is destroyed. I was hurt because I didn't know how to use magic to defend myself, so I just ran as far as I could from all the dragons," Akagi's accented speech began to soften as her body grew motionless, "I didn't get to see what the dragons looked like. All I could do was listen to them roar over my village. The only thing they said when they killed everyone was, 'we can not allow history to repeat itself…'" With that, Akagi's body ceased to move. The unending pain caused by the cauterization had ultimately taken its toll on her.

Sayuki tightened her grip around Akagi's wrist and felt the small girl's pulse begin to slow down while increase in intensity. The heat of the scorching flames from behind her began to dissipate into nothingness, signaling the cauterization had come to an end. "Thuh- This poor girl. I mean, Akagi… She's still alive, but her body needs some actual medical attention… Now!" Sayuki nearly demanded with a hiccup while the last of her tears fell.

As Natsu began to lift his head while the last of Macao's purple flames dissipated, he was met with the disturbing sight of Akagi's cauterized wound before him. The skin was messily fused together while caramelized blood was dried up around the area. As Natsu overheard Akagi describe her village being slaughtered by dragons, his feelings of grief and emotional pain turned into that of complete and utter rage once he fully comprehended the severity of Akagi's pain. Natsu gritted his teeth together while an intimidating glare flashed across his facial features. "We're supposed to be their goddamn friends. And… These dragons take advantage over this village because no one can use Dragon Slayer Magic to stop them?! I'll slaughter the bastards who did this to you!" Natsu harshly declared.

Macao began to hiccup once he noticed that Akagi had passed out from the trauma. He noticed Natsu begin to lose his composure and used his unbiased judgment to help his Guild Master out. "Natsu? Look around you and let's sort this out. You lost your Dragon Slayer Magic a day ago, we're here on the east side of Ishgar which is known for having ties with dragons, we came here to talk to some chick who can help you get your Dragon Slayer Magic back, and we found out dragons raided this village all of a sudden because they apparently 'cannot allow history to repeat itself.' There's no way in hell this is all some coincidence. If Rebuke really has ties with Dragon Slayer Magic, we need to see her now and see if she knows what the hell is going on here! Most importantly though," Macao bolted upright while taking off his cloak, "Akagi needs help, and Rebuke might be the only person left who can save her. Take us to her." Macao confidently declared while he bundled the girl in the cloak before carefully carrying her bridal style.

Sayuki began to shiver and fear the worst slightly. "Master Natsu? Please don't get mad at me for what I'm about to say. But Rebuke, what if she's… You know…" Sayuki stopped to look around at the corpses around the village, indicating that Rebuke was among the deceased.

Natsu shook his head while inferring what Sayuki spoke to him. "I'm not going to buy it. Rebuke is supposed to be stronger than the four most powerful Wizard Saints without even using her magic. Not to mention, she lives a completely self sufficient lifestyle away from the village; she couldn't have been killed with everyone else."

Sayuki interjected again. "Buh- But that's the point. If Rebuke's really as powerful as you said she was, wouldn't she have helped the village? Maybe she really is…"

Macao frowned while holding Akagi's body close to his. "I hate to say it, but Sayuki's right. Why wouldn't Rebuke help this village out if she lives close-" Macao never got the chance to question if Rebuke was alive, because Natsu interrupted him.

"That's what we're gonna find out. I'm not saying that I know she's alive, I'm saying that she has to be alive. She's our only hope… And Akagi's." Natsu looked with uncertainty towards the small girl being carried by Macao. With dragons invading Dragnof's capital for some obscure reason, and Rebuke being nowhere in sight to help them, Natsu was more unsure than ever if his stubborn nature was just delaying the inevitable: for his missing magic returning, and understand the situation his Nakama were placed in.

* * *

Thank you for your time!

 **Author's Note:** This chapter was very controversial, I know. But it has purpose. Natsu is slowly beginning to grow up and experience the harsh world for himself, and this arc is going to help him with this realization. Dragons are obviously not the most friendly of creatures, as we all know about Acnologia and the dragons who raided this village. In order for Natsu to get his magic back, as I stated last chapter, he needs to go on a small quest to understand the origins to his dragon slayer magic and why this is the case. Dragon's capital being destroyed by dragons is not a coincidence, and Akagi's injuries show Natsu that not all dragons are like Igneel.


	26. Chapter 26 - Origins: Part Three

**Author's Note:** It's been around two months since I last updated, and I don't have an excuse to explain my absence. I've tried to write in my free time, but I've been so caught up with trying to study for my Chemistry courses as well as relax, that I haven't given much thought to writing lately.

Summer is slowly starting to creep back up again, and some of you might have noticed that I typically find the motivation to pump out a bunch of updates around that time, so I hope you guys haven't forgotten about this Fanfiction! This arc is nearly at the half way point (I wasn't lying when I said this would hopefully be shorter), and that means it'll be time for the last timeskip before the return of the Tenrou group!

As I stated in a previous Author's Note, this next timeskip is going to be much more revolved around Natsu and Kagura strengthening their relationship, Natsu maturing and learning to cope with the decisions he made for the rest of Fiore at the Magic Coalition, and seeing how "Just because some of your members rarely visit doesn't make them less important than the ones you see on an everyday basis," Caused these changes to Fiore to be made!

I'm super excited for the final stretch of the Fanfiction, and I hope that you all stick around for me to wrap things up with an amazing conclusion!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 26: Origins: Part Three**

" **ThudThudThud…** " The sound of Natsu's fingers rapped against the wooden door of a house located in the Northern Mountain range of Dragnof's capital. As he anxiously viewed his surroundings while awaiting a response, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful the scenery was. Despite the sun setting completely, the tranquil nature of the mountain range contrasted so much from the destruction scattered throughout the village. The luscious forests were brimming with wildlife seemingly unfazed from the dragons invading the capital, while the main pathway up the mountain range was still in eyesight.

Before the mages became overly captivated by the scenery, the door in front of them reluctantly opened allowing a middle aged woman with slight facial wrinkles to peer out. Aside from being able to view her wrinkles and average height, the rest of her facial features could not be identified due to the sun fully setting behind the mountains. The lighting inside of the woman's home was rather limited, as the only source was coming from her fireplace in the background.

Although the lack of lighting made it impossible for the mages to observe the woman's appearance, they immediately widened their eyes and staggered backwards at the amount of magical potential they could sense stemming from the woman's body.

Natsu frantically hollered within his mind at the woman's impression. " _She's barely holding the door open, and her magic is already starting to make me sick. This chick's gotta be Rebuke, but now that I think about it, there's no way she can be this strong. I know Jellal said that Rebuke was powerful, but this chick's magic is freaking insane!_ " He then reluctantly began to ask a question out loud that was plaguing the four mage's minds. "Excuse me, but are you Rebuke?" Natsu recollected his composure while his thoughts wandered back to the mage's priority: asking Rebuke for help healing Akagi's injury.

The woman couldn't help but smile at the fact that for the first time in 400 years, someone other than Jellal knew of who she was. She opened the door fully and allowed the mages to completely view her physical features, causing them to nearly collapse to the ground from the immense aura of magic coming through the opened doorway.

As the mages slowly began to regain their balance and register the initial impressions of the woman, Macao nearly dropped Akagi out of utter shock of the woman's appearance.

The woman's features complemented her unfathomable magical potential. Her skin had a scaly pattern embedded throughout her body giving her the overall appearance of Natsu entering the Dragon Force. The woman's eyes were sharp, angular, and gave the impression of an actual dragon glaring towards them. However, her most unique feature was her hair. The woman's hair was rather long and resembled Flare Corona's in the sense that it was lit ablaze; however, instead of actual hair, embers of fire protruded from her head and cascaded down her back before dissipating towards her lower body. The woman's attire consisted of a one piece bodysuit with dark olive joggers covering her lower body. Her clothing was completed with a pair of lace up sandals.

The group finished scanning the woman's attire and noticed she had a beautiful, blue pendant in the shape of a teardrop resting above her cleavage.

Before anyone could comment on her mesmerizing appearance, the woman spoke with an angelic voice void of any friction as she finally revealed her identity by answering Natsu's question. "When you live isolated by yourself for over 400 years, you learn to appreciate the little things such as hearing someone else know your name. The name's Rebuke, and it's a pleasure to meet you… Natsu." Rebuke paused to warmly smile towards Natsu and the three mages accompanying him. Her voice was so calm, that it ironically contrasted form her intimidating appearance.

Natsu shivered slightly and backpedaled upon hearing Rebuke speak his name. "Uh- It's really you. Huh- How the hell do you know my name?" He struggled while trying to maintain his composure from Rebuke's magical potential. Now that he was able to gauge it more effectively, something about Rebuke's magic seemed oddly familiar to Natsu; he just couldn't identify it out of bewilderment of her dragon like appearance coupled with knowing his name.

Rebuke rolled her eyes and chuckled at Natsu's antics and spoke to the group of mages. "I promise that I'm not some creepy middle aged woman stalking you, but I've been expecting you for some time now; that's how I know all of your names. I know you're probably confused as to why I look like a human dragon and how I know you guys, but I promise that I'm all human. You'll get used to my magic potential after a couple of minutes, and I'll eventually tell you how I knew you were coming." With that, Rebuke stepped out of her house's doorway to approach where Natsu was standing. Each step she took towards Natsu caused Macao, Kagura, and Sayuki to slightly back up towards the main pathway out of uncertainty, giving her more room to approach Natsu. Once the other three mages were a few steps away out of earshot, Rebuke began to whisper under her voice so that only Natsu could hear her. She once again rolled her eyes and chuckled at the question she was about to ask Natsu. "Let me guess, was it Jellal who told you about me?" She spoke under her breath so only Natsu could hear Jellal's name with his enhanced hearing.

Natsu's eyes immediately widened after hearing Rebuke's question. "Cuh- Can you at least tell me how the hell you know that Jellal sent me?" He whispered back in uncertainty.

"Jellal is the only human I regularly keep in contact with. There's no way someone else could of know where I live unless it was through him. Don't worry though, you won't have to worry about me bringing up his name in front of her," Rebuke reassured Natsu by darting her eyes towards where Kagura was tending to Akagi's condition, indicating that Rebuke knew about Kagura's hatred towards Jellal. After realizing that the young girl being held by Macao was injured, Rebuke grimaced slightly out of regret and raised her voice while diverting her attention towards Akagi, "We can continue the chatter later. Right now though, I assume Akagi needs medical attention?" Rebuke gestured to the small girl resting in Macao's arms.

Sayuki began to nod her head vigorously in response, "Please. She really needs someone who can heal her," The Fire mage completely ignored how Rebuke knew Akagi's name.

As the severity of Akagi's wound began to dawn upon Rebuke, her warm facial expression turned into that of seriousness, "Bring her in," She stated while Natsu and the rest of his group members followed behind her into the house. None of the Fairy Tail Guild members had the opportunity to question Rebuke's mysterious personality or if she could even be trusted to not harm their wellbeing before she closed the wooden door behind them.

* * *

As unsettling as Rebuke's magical potential initially was, Natsu and his guild members slowly began to adjust to the woman's presence as they surveyed the interior of her house.

The house was cozy, yet had more than enough room to accommodate the arrival of any unexpected guests. A living room was located at the far end of the atrium with a small kitchen directly connected off to the side. Two separate rooms were conjoined towards the side of the atrium closest to the living room, which Natsu and his guild mates dismissed as being a bedroom and bathroom.

Because of still needing to adjust to Rebuke's magical potential, the Fairy Tail Guild members continued to stroll through the atrium with labored shuffles. This did not go unnoticed by Rebuke, who was relived to sense that her visitors were more composed than they were outside. "It's reassuring to know that you guys are slowly getting used to my magic. It'll make talking to everyone a lot easier once we get the chance," She spoke with relief and pride tinted in her voice, "You can place Akagi on the couch over there; she's going to be just fine." Rebuke reassured everyone as she led them into the living room. She knelt next to the couches' armrest and awaited her guests to follow her movements.

Without hesitation, Macao swiftly approached the couch that Rebuke was kneeling next to and softly rested Akagi's motionless body on top of it. Kagura and Sayuki followed his movements while Natsu lagged behind. Natsu still too reluctant to look at the pain he inflicted upon Akagi, causing him to grow slightly defensive over the young girl from afar. "It's one thing if you know who we are, but how do you know Akagi's name?" Natsu grimaced while watching Macao remove her cloak from Akagi's cauterized wound.

Kagura cocked her head in confusion and took the time to elaborate on Natsu's confusion. "Master Natsu has a point. He told us that you lived a self-sufficient life, so how do you know who Akagi is?"

Rebuke was so distracted by Akagi's condition, that she didn't even avert her gaze to answer Kagura's question. "Believe me when I say there's a lot more to who I am then someone who lives a self-sufficient life. I know who Akagi is, because I occasionally overhear her playing with her friends in the mountains. That was back when Dragons didn't destroy her village." She finished by muttering in hostility and rage at the brutality of the Dragons.

Macao's eyes widened after assuming Rebuke confirmed his worst fears. "Wuh- We were right about what happened to Dragnof… Yuh- your magic potential is off the charts, and you still didn't do anything to help-"

Before Macao's voice could become shrouded in rage at the unnecessary pain dealt to Akagi, Rebuke held up her hand in defense. After a few moments of hesitation, she eventually brought herself to speak to the anxious mages. "I'm gonna stop you right there." Her voice's tone turned into a deathly seriousness while she gritted her teeth. A shadow was now draped over her face while a lone tear began to well up in her eye before pattering against the floor. "I wanted to help… But I couldn't. There can't be another war. The killing needs to stop. Please, just give me a chance to save Akagi; it's the least I can do for not being able to help the rest of her village." Rebuke sniffled while she began to apologize for her actions in broken fragments.

Natsu was the first to realize the severity behind Dragnof's capital being destroyed and scowled at his advisor's nerve for making the assumption. "We promise we didn't mean to offend you in any way! It's… It's just that we're from a really close family who will do anything to protect other people in need: even if it means not thinking before we react." Natsu finished by comically towering over Macao's back. Even Kagura and Sayuki gave the purple haired man similar stares.

Rebuke brought herself to smile slightly at her guest's antics while snapping herself out of the frustrated state she was in. "That's what I've overheard from all the children playing around the forest. Fairy tail mages are just protective like that." She warmly smiled while gesturing towards the red Fairy Tail Guild Mark on the back of Sayuki's hand: indicating that for once, Rebuke didn't need to use her abundance of knowledge to determine her guest's identity.

Before they became immersed in their discussion, Rebuke's warm smile dissipated as she diverted her attention back to Akagi's body which reminded her of the situation at hand.

Without a moment to spare, Rebuke flicked her dominant wrist in a downwards motion which caused her palm to become engulfed in a controlled stream of golden flames.

Natsu's eyes immediately widened from recognizing Rebuke's spell for the third time in his life, while the other Fairy Tail Guild members could only gawk at the sheer beauty and power emanating from the golden flames. "The Flame of Rebuke." Natsu robotically spoke the name of the spell out loud.

The amount of magic potential was enough to cause the Fairy Tail Guild members to faint if it weren't for needing to ensure Akagi's safety. However, their trance like state was immediately broken as they watched Rebuke outstretch her blazing hand towards Akagi's wound.

Just as Rebuke was preparing to apply the glistening flames to Akagi's cauterized scar, Macao reflexively gripped Rebuke's arm and stopped her from making contact with the young girl. "Hold on! What do you think you're doing?! Can't you see she's already suffered enough already? We can sense how insanely powerful you are, so you don't gotta prove anything by taking it out on Akagi!"

Sayuki and Kagura immediately widened their eyes at Macao's short minded actions. Natsu approached Macao and tried to separate Macao's grip in fear that he would somehow provoke Rebuke. All of the mages could sense that the single flame in Rebuke's palm was enough to obliterate them, and this was Natsu's only chance to get his magic back.

Rebuke sighed at Macao's actions while slowly diverting her gaze from Akagi's body towards the Fire mage's loosening grip. She noticed that Macao instantly regretted his bold actions, which was further reprimanded by Natsu subtly trying to calm him down.

Rebuke shook her head towards Macao's parting grip and gestured towards the door as a friendly reminder of warning. "I can promise you if I wanted to hurt you guys, none of you would have been able to knock on my house's door before meeting the grim reaper," The seriousness of Rebuke's voice caused the mages to shiver in regret while Macao lowered his head in embarrassment, "I wanted to help Dragnof's capital just as much as Fairy Tail did, so you're going to have to trust me when I say I'll take good care of Akagi."

Natsu rested his hand on Macao's shoulder while slowly moving him out of reach of the couch. Macao continued to monitor Rebuke's movements as he was still unsure Rebuke could be trusted, but at least Natsu was able to restrain him properly so he couldn't interfere again.

With the final moments of hesitation out of the way, Rebuke fully pressed her lit hand against Akagi's abdomen. She used her free hand to apply pressure on top of her flame bound one and smirked in satisfaction as she watched her golden flames encase Akagi's scarred tissue.

Akagi's scar immediately began shrink in size while the Flame of Rebuke replaced her cauterized wound with a layer of new skin. Her unconscious breathing was replaced with a sharp inhale of relief as her body reacted to the healing properties of the spell. The flames continued to flicker and made a hollow, ghostly noise similar to a raging wind in the distance coupled with the sound of glistening in the background.

Macao's eyes widened at the extraordinary properties of Rebuke's magic. " _How can a spell with that much magic potential be used to heal someone?!"_ He was the first Fairy Tail Guild member to think in bewilderment.

" _Uh- I can't believe it. Akagi's already starting to breathe easier, and the spell hasn't even healed her scar fully._ " Natsu, Kagura, and Sayuki watched as Akagi's chest rose more prominently with each passing second.

Unlike his other three guild members, Natsu understood the true destructive nature the Flames of Rebuke were capable of, so he silently marveled the adaptability of the spell to heal someone.

The flames continued to encase Akagi's scar until it completely vanished into the newly formed skin over her abdomen. After the scar was healed, the golden flames slowly dissipated back into the palm of Rebuke's hand.

Rebuke then lifted her hand off of Akagi's newly formed skin where she clenched her fist in satisfaction: causing the golden flames to disappear as golden embers in the air.

* * *

A deathly silence loomed over the Fairy Tail Guild members at how effortlessly Rebuke was able to heal Akagi. Macao was the first to break the tense silence by slowly walking towards where Rebuke was monitoring Akagi's condition. Once he ensured Akagi's safety, he turned his head and locked his gaze with the side of Rebuke's scaly face. Macao then uttered the three words plaguing his guild members thoughts. "Who are you…?" He said while narrowing his eyes in confusion, lack of trust, and awe at the woman he was staring at.

Rebuke continued to stare at Akagi's healed abdomen without breaking contact to acknowledge Macao's presence. She closed her black eyes in realization that since Akagi's condition improving, it was time to reveal her identity to her guests.

Rebuke reached out towards Macao's cloak resting beneath Akagi's body and used it to cover the torn t-shirt exposing the young girl's skin. She then crossed her legs over, inhaled deeply, and turned her head to face Macao and the other mages off to the side. She slowly opened her eyes in determination and revealed her identity to the Fairy Tail Guild members without hesitation, "My real name is Yuki Mizikushi Akino. Over 400 years ago, I was better known as the first Dragon Slayer," Rebuke confidently stated before uncrossing her legs, standing up, and heading to the kitchen, "Would anyone care for some tea?" She called out to her guests who were left stranded next to Akagi's resting body.

Rebuke's question caused the three Fairy Tail Guild members to comically lose their balance on the floor. They regained their composure enough to turn around and eye Rebuke rummaging through her kitchen drawers for a tea pot.

" _Tea at a time like this?! We just found out who the hell she is, and she cares more about drinking tea than the fact she's a Dragon Slayer?! She really is just like Natsu!"_ Sayuki and Macao deadpanned to themselves.

Kagura was in just as much shock as Sayuki and Macao were from learning Rebuke was a Dragon slayer, but her increasing curiosity was enough to maintain her stoic persona. " _Suh- So Rebuke's a Dragon Slayer. That must explain her immense Magical Potential,_ " She hesitantly shook her head slightly at the conclusion she made, " _No… Something does not seem right here. Master Natsu also uses Dragon Slayer Magic, but he's nowhere near as powerful as she is. Rebuke isn't a Dragon Slayer like Natsu... She's the first Dragon Slayer._ " Kagura stopped thinking to herself as she observed Rebuke casually walk with a tea pot through the kitchen.

Natsu stood up in disbelief as he slowly began to register who Rebuke truly was and why Jellal requested that she be treated with the utmost respect. The revelation that just dawned upon him was enough to completely divert his gaze from Akagi's body towards Rebuke. " _Shuh- She's also a Dragon Slayer?! After what happened to Gajeel and Wendy, I thought I was the only one left who was still a part of a legal guild. Is that why she looks like a Dragon?"_ His barrage of questions was interrupted by the sound of Rebuke turning the stove on while resting the tea pot on top of it. For the first time since Natsu sighted Dragnof's capital, he realized how hungry he was. He toothily smiled as he recalled Rebuke's previous offer and accepted it without hesitation, "I'll take some tea!" Natsu declared with his carefree persona, his short attention span contributing to how he was able to change subjects so easily even though his magic was missing. Natsu's antics caused his guild mates to comically collapse against the couch next to Akagi's unconscious body.

Rebuke brought herself to smile and shook her head at Natsu's nature. "Perfect! I'll be with you guys in just a moment. Make yourselves comfortable, because I have a feeling we're going to be here a while." She chuckled while adding water to the tea pot.

"Yeah… No kidding." Macao sarcastically muttered to himself while the lack of trust he had for Rebuke broke him out of his daze. At this point, he didn't care if Rebuke's enhanced hearing picked up his spiteful comments: at least not until she clarified who she was and if she even planned to help Natsu recover his Dragon Slayer Magic.

As the guild members slowly regained their bearings from learning who Rebuke was, Natsu slowly rejoined them on the wooden floor while they sat upright next to the couch Akagi was resting on.

Natsu continued to observe Akagi's unconscious body and assumed Rebuke was finished tending to her condition. His food focused thoughts began to grow grave and serious now that he rested his eyes upon Akagi's body again, " _I don't know what I would have done if Rebuke wasn't able to save your life… I'm sorry. This is just like what happened with Kagura… If I was just faster… None of this would have happened,_ " Natsu thought to himself in guilt, while thoughts of self-doubt began to usher over his body.

The rest of the mages shifted their attention back to Akagi to the point where none of them noticed Natsu's shadowed facial expressions. Even though Akagi was still a complete stranger to them, Macao's fatherly instincts caused him to stroke the young black hair as they awaited Rebuke to rejoin them back in the living room.

A deathly silence had fallen upon the group in the living room ever since Rebuke parted towards the kitchen. Kagura, Macao, and Sayuki were so distracted from observing Akagi's condition, that they didn't even notice Natsu's doubtful facial expression contrasting from the rest who were concerned for Akagi's wellbeing; little did they know the amount of conflicting emotional pain he was currently enduring.

Moreover, since their backs were turned to the kitchen's entrance, all of the Fairy Tail Guild members were so mesmerized by their own thoughts that they failed to notice Rebuke walking into the living room with a platter of tea and biscuits.

Rebuke was the only person to notice the emotional pain Natsu was in. She could tell that he was agitated from multiple factors; the Dragons destroying Akagi's village, losing his Dragon Slayer Magic, and him doubting himself as a Fairy Tail mage for not being able to protect others in need all contributed to how he was feeling and what she was able to sense.

Rebuke sighed to herself upon seeing Natsu's composure and realized there was only one way she could reassure him. "You could probably already tell by how bad Akagi's wounds were, but not all Dragons are like Igneel, and it'll only get worse from here unless we do something to stop it. It's a harsh world out there, and I'm sorry you had to learn that by cauterizing her wounds." She attempted to sympathize with Natsu while laying the extendable tray she was holding behind the mages, "Please, make yourself comfortable and eat as much as you like." She casually stated while making it seem as if she had no idea Natsu was related to Igneel.

The Fairy Tail mages whirled around upon hearing Rebuke enter the living room, but they were even more shocked as a bigger realization began to dawn upon them. "Yuh- You know who Igneel is?" Natsu almost raised his voice at how taken back he was. He inched towards where Rebuke began to sit on the ground and practically begged with his eyes for any information on his lost father.

Rebuke chuckled at Natsu's clueless nature "Of course I know Iggy," She paused to reminiscence at the nickname she gave Igneel, "After all, how else would you have learned Dragon Slayer Magic?" Rebuke then handed Natsu a cup of tea from the tray in front of them.

Natsu and his guild mates immediately removed their backpacks, causing the four mages to sigh in relief from the weight being removed from their shoulders. Natsu then hastily accepted the teacup if it meant Rebuke continued to speak. The rest of his guild mates mimicked his actions, while Kagura reluctantly placed Archenemy at her side.

Rebuke nodded in satisfaction as her guests lowered their belongings to the ground before accepting their teacups. After ensuring they had all adjusted to the atmosphere and her magical potential, she leaned in towards where Natsu was anxiously awaiting for her to continue and spoke to him with a concerned voice. "So… Natsu? You've been trying to find a way to get your Dragon Slayer Magic back, and you decided to come to Dragnof since you're out of other options."

Natsu immediately choked on his tea at the conclusion Rebuke was able to make. "I think it would be better if you start with how you know my name and why I'm here." He sarcastically deadpanned, almost forgetting that Rebuke knew who Igneel was.

"After being alive for 400 years now, I've had enough time to learn some stuff about this world. My Dragon Slayer senses have been trained to the point where I've surpassed even the sharpest of Dragons, and it's allowed me to feel the emotions of other humans without any second doubt; that includes you and your friends," Rebuke paused to gesture towards Natsu's guild mates, "You can probably already tell by now, but I'm able to learn a lot from a person's emotions. I know the reasons each of you have for being here, and I even know why Natsu isn't able to use his Dragon Slayer Magic." She placed her teacup down to narrow her eyes towards Natsu's stunned body.

A small glint of hope plastered across Kagura's face after Rebuke reassured her guild mates. She patted Natsu's shoulder in encouragement while her Guild Master responded to Rebuke. "So you'll tell us what's wrong with me?" Natsu eventually brought himself to speak.

To everyone's surprise, Rebuke shook her head at him. "For the sake of you being able to get your magic back, I don't think that's a good idea. There'd be no point in telling you why you lost your magic until you discover what you've got to do to get it back."

"Then why does it matter whether or not you tell me now?" Natsu scratched his head as he began to grow impatient.

"Because you'd still have to know what it has to do with losing your magic in the first place. If I tell you right now why you lost your Dragon Slayer Magic, there'd be nothing stopping you from completely losing it from lacking the confidence to get it back… And this time, you could lose it for good. Learning about your Dragon Slayer Magic and your body will be enough for you to understand what you have to do to get it back, and the last thing I want is having to risk you losing the connection to it altogether by telling you too early."

"So you're saying my Magic isn't gone forever; it's just 'blocked?'"

Rebuke smiled and nodded towards Natsu. "You've got it. There's no point in taking a risk for you to lose your magic forever when you can just learn how to get it back for sure. I know it's going to be tough to trust me because of how important your magic is to you, but just think about it as another way I'm going to help you on this journey."

Sayuki beamed in happiness and placed her teacup on the tray. "So you're going to help Master Natsu?!"

Rebuke responded by nodding her head while she returned a smile towards Sayuki. "Of course I'm going to help Natsu. After all, Iggy was one of my closest friends back in the day." This caused Sayuki to bubble in excitement.

Natsu was so shocked at Rebuke's generosity, that he could only ask the most straight forward question at this point. "But what's going to help me understand why I lost my magic and how I'm going to get it back?" Natsu uncomfortably asked.

"The origins of Dragon Slayer Magic will. Tell me, what do you know about my past aside from my name?" Rebuke asked as she could sense Natsu completely forgot the conversation he had with Jellal at the Magic Council Headquarters.

As Natsu began to ponder over Rebuke's question, Kagura facepalmed to herself from listening to Natsu's question. " _How did he already forget what he told Fairy Tail about how Rebuke would help him?_ " She then began to chuckle to herself out of amusement. " _I guess I can't blame him. Losing someone- I mean something you love can change your behavior in ways you wouldn't have expected."_ Kagura then shook her head as she realized she began comparing Simon to Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic.

Before Kagura realized how much she was relating to Natsu's situation, her Guild Master answered Rebuke's initial question with a sheepish look plastered across his face. "I'm not gonna lie Rebuke, my Nakama and I don't know that much about you other than how you're a totally badass Dragon Slayer." Natsu's antics coupled with his toothy smile caused the middle aged woman to burst out in laughter with the rest of her guests. This was interrupted by Natsu beginning to slowly grow serious again. "But when I was little, Igneel told me the story about your village being destroyed by Dragons… The night he was supposed to finish telling me it, he disappeared. I know this story will help me get my magic back, because the person who told me to come to Dragnof mentioned that you're really selective about who you tell it to. That's gotta mean it's important." Natsu paused to lean in towards Rebuke's face, "But I need to know the rest of your story if it means getting my magic back. Kagura and I now parts of it, but we don't know any more than that... Rebuke…? You're my only hope right now. Please help me get my magic back." Natsu pleaded as he was reduced to begging.

Before any of the other mages could ask Natsu to clarify which person told Natsu to come to Dragnof, Rebuke responded with a solemn tone tinting her voice. "Unfortunately, that was no story. I lived through every moment of what Igneel told you…" Rebuke's face lowered while a deathly shadow began to loom over it. Her body began to emanate a yellow aura as she began to flare up her magic ever so slightly, causing the tear drop pendant above her chest to glow a piercing blue. The golden flames that comprised her hair raged in a torrent of fury and emotional pain from recalling the destruction of her village.

The increase in her magic potential caused Macao and Sayuki to cower in fear; even Natsu was unsure how long her could keep his composure from the mere fraction of Rebuke's power.

Just before any of the Fairy Tail mages could reflexively react to the possible growing threat, the increase in Magical Potential instantly dissipated while Rebuke darted her head upwards with a warm smile plastered across her face. "I'm just kidding. Since you said please, I'll help you and tell you everything you need to know to get your magic back."

The Fairy Tail mages comically collapsed out of relief and utter confusion from Rebuke's idea of a joke. "Wait… So your village wasn't destroyed?" Macao groaned in annoyance at Rebuke's childlike persona.

Rebuke shook her head. "No, it was. I've just gotten over it to the point where I'm not shrouded with hatred anymore. The destruction that Dragons caused needs to be stopped, but hatred isn't going to make doing that any easier." She spoke truthfully.

"Then how are you still alive after 400 years? Since you've gained so much power, Dragnof really needed help protecting its citizens against those Dragons that Akagi was talking about! You've been a Dragon Slayer for 400 years, and you knew how destructive those Dragons were… So why didn't you help the village? You haven't explained that yet." Macao began to grow untrustworthy again as he gazed upon Akagi's resting body.

"I know that you're upset, but please believe me that starting another war wouldn't have saved Dragnof; it would have endangered the entirety of Ishgar. After my village was destroyed 400 years ago, I made the mistake in believing that starting a war with Dragons was the answer to humanity's problems. Instead, it nearly wiped out the human race. I can't take that risk again."

"Who said anything about starting a war? You could have just made an effort to reason with them. What the hell is going on here?!" Macao interrupted in confusion and frustration as to how Natsu and Kagura knew about Rebuke's past but him and Sayuki didn't.

Natsu apologized while clarifying his knowledge of Rebuke to the other two Fire mages. "I should have told you guys this earlier, but that story Igneel told me had to do with Rebuke's past. Up until now, I thought it was just a story, and I told it to Kagura at out campsite while I was on that Raven Tail quest with her. I planned on telling you and Sayuki about Rebuke on the train and carriage ride, but I guess my motion sickness got the best of me," Natsu rubbed his head in embarrassment, "Now that I think about it, it's probably for the best that I wasn't the person to tell you. Now that I know what Igneel told me was true, I don't think I should be the one to tell you what happened to Rebuke's village." Natsu grimaced while realizing the pain Rebuke had to endure was similar to Akagi.

"Did what Igneel tell you even have to do about this 'war' Rebuke is scared about?" Macao skeptically asked.

Rebuke answered for Natsu by reluctantly nodding towards Macao. "Yes. Everything leading up to now is because of what happened 400 years ago. And even though I'm no longer shrouded in hatred and vengeance from my village being destroyed, it's still not a day I like to remember. But you're gonna need to know it if it means your Guild Master gets his Dragon Slayer Magic back."

Before any of the Fairy Tail Guild members were given the opportunity to interrupt, Rebuke began to recall the events of her village being destroyed when she was a kid. From meeting Atlas Flame in the forest surrounding her village, to saving the Dragon's life, Rebuke was able to recall the destruction of her village with even more description than Natsu.

As Rebuke continued to narrate the turning point of her childhood, mixed emotions began to shroud Macao and Sayuki. Not only were they surprised to learn that Rebuke met a Fire Dragon, but they were shocked at how Atlas Flame gave Rebuke the ability to call for his help as payment for saving his life: especially since Rebuke was a child at the time.

The looks of shock plastered across Macao's and Sayuki's faces immediately turned into horror as Rebuke began to grimace over the death of her family from the dragons that invaded her village. Despite the lack of trust Macao had for Rebuke, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the middle aged woman. Even if Atlas Flame offered to help train Rebuke in order to protect the rest of humanity, that still didn't serve as a reason for deserving the emotional pain she had to endure.

"Why…? All this time, I thought Dragons were just like Igneel. I thought they were our friends, so why are they doing this…?" Natsu robotically asked while Rebuke silently finished describing the events to Macao and Sayuki.

"That answer depends on what you're referring to. The reasons the Dragons invaded Akagi's village are different from the ones they had when invaded mine. And that's all because of what I still have to tell you."

"Can you at least start by why Dragons invaded YOUR village?"

"Good choice," Rebuke chuckled to herself, "That one's pretty straightforward. Only ten percent of Earthland's population could use magic leaving most of us defenseless. Not to mention, humans were and still are abundant. We make for a pretty good food source if you ask me, and my village was one of the many which were destroyed in the process."

"I'm so sorry that you had to endure all of that, and I'm glad that you've moved on from what happened to your family… But what happened to your village sounds a lot like what happened to Dragnof. Can you please tell us why you didn't help?" Kagura cocked her head with an intrigued look on her face. Even she couldn't help but empathize with Rebuke, considering both of them lost family members in the past.

"Thank you for your kindness," Rebuke beamed, indicating that she truly had moved past the death of her family, "But this is where the second part of my story comes in. I couldn't defend the citizens, because stopping the Dragons from invading Dragnof's capital would have started another war," She paused to turn towards where Natsu was listening. She leaned in towards his body before speaking with as much confidence as she could muster, "If you want to understand why you lost your magic, why dragons destroyed this village, and why I couldn't help Dragnof's capital because of this 'war,' we need to go back… around 400 years ago. Put your hands on top of mine." Rebuke finished speaking by placing her teacup next to the platter of biscuit crumbs. She outstretched her dragon like arm in hopes her guests would accept her grasp.

Macao narrowed his gaze towards Rebuke's extended arm before darting his head towards Akagi's body on the sofa. "How do you plan on helping us?" Macao brought himself to question out of embarrassment; he could barely bring himself to speak after learning about the destruction of Rebuke's village, and he was genuinely curious about what would happen to Akagi.

Rebuke smirked while watching Macao eye Akagi. "I think you already know the answer to that. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so concerned about Akagi right now. She'll be just fine until we return. We shouldn't be gone for too long."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. Uh- Are you sure you feel comfortable helping us even after what happened to your village." Sayuki spoke her first words since Rebuke finished recalling the destruction of her village.

"C'mon now," Rebuke childishly pouted, "I've already told you I moved on from what happened. What matters right now is being able to help your Guild Master get his magic back. You of all people should be excited right now." Rebuke chuckled while referring to Sayuki's bubbly personality.

Sayuki rolled her eyes and realized Rebuke was right, so she snapped herself out of her worried daze by shaking her head.

With that, Macao, Kagura, and Sayuki had nothing else to do at this point but follow Rebuke's instructions. They rose from their seats on the floor and nodded to each other in unison before laying their dominant hands on top of Rebuke's.

Natsu was the last mage to rise from the floor, but stopped extending his hand right as it was about to enter the group's circle. He still had questions for himself that he wanted to have answered, and he knew there probably wouldn't be a better time to ask them than right now. "Uh- I can't thank you enough for doing all of this for me… But why are you helping me, Rebuke? The person who recommended I visited you told me that you're really selective about who you tell your past to. You wouldn't even tell it to one of your closest friends about your past, so why me all of a sudden? Even if you knew my father, how can you trust me enough with your biggest secret?'

Rebuke sighed and responded to Natsu's question. "If I'm being honest, there's a favor that you're going to have to do for me that leads to you getting your magic back, so we're both gonna benefit from this in the end," She paused to speak to the entirety of the group, "However, all of you know what happened to my village. When I was lost and thought there was no one left to guide me in life, I had a dragon lead me onto a new path by teaching me unfathomable power. After watching my own family get killed in cold blood, I didn't think I would ever have someone to get me to where I am right now. There was so much smoke in the air the day my village was destroyed day that it masked the stench of blood… And yet… Atlas Flame still guided me. After all the violence and tears throughout my childhood, he was the one who was there for me when no one else was. Now… It's time for me to repay the favor."

Natsu frantically began to speak out of admiration as he subconsciously inched his hand closer towards the circle. "Damn. That's deep… But what about my father? Do you know what happened to him?"

Rebuke smiled while reminiscing about Igneel. "That's a story I can only tell you once we're done. Right now, in order for you to recover your Dragon Slayer Magic, we need to go back."

Natsu wanted to negotiate, but before any of the mages could respond to Rebuke's proposal, Sayuki rolled her eyes and grabbed Natsu's hand in annoyance. "C'mon, Master. You've waited nine years to find out what happened to Igneel, so I think you can wait a couple more minutes. Your Dragon Slayer Magic is what's most important right now, and since when were you the type of person to pass up an adventure?" Sayuki then pulled Natsu's hand into the circle without his consent which caused a torrent of golden flames to erupt from Rebuke's hand at the bottom.

The fire engulfed the group as a golden hue lowly emanated throughout the room, causing a ghostly sound tinted with glistening to howl from the spell. The flames almost immediately dissipated into beautiful embers floating in the air, causing Rebuke and the Fairy Tail Mages to vanish from the middle of the room without a trace.

* * *

Thank you for your time!


	27. Chapter 27 - Origins: Part Four

**Author's Note:** It's been two months since I last updated, and I can't even begin to apologize for my absence; the final weeks of school I had to complete ate up more time that I anticipated, to the point where I couldn't find an appropriate time to update.

With that being said, I hope the length of this chapter is enough to make up for my lack of activity. The Origins Arc has reached its halfway point as of me uploading this chapter, and I hope to find more time to update now that Summer has begun.

Thank you all so much for continuing to support this Fanfiction. Each and every time I log onto my account to check the stats of this Fanfiction, I'm completely blown away by the amount of support I continue to get. The 174 Reviews, 540 Favorites, and 608 Followers I have is a number I would have never expected to achieve, and can't even begin to express my appreciation enough. Because of this, please, if you have ANY ideas you would like to see incorporated into the story line, notify me by dropping a review or sending me a private message; I will be certain to respond to it, and it is the least I can do to find a way to repay you guys.

Despite me not being able to upload recently, I hope you're all still intrigued about what I have planned for this arc: concerning Natsu losing his Dragon Slayer Magic. I hope this chapter clarifies anything that might be ambiguous. Thank you all once again for supporting me throughout my writing, and I hope you enjoy this update!

* * *

During Those 7 Years

 **Chapter 27: Origins: Part Four**

Scene Change: X388 (398 years ago)

"Urf… Where are we?" Natsu slowly snapped himself out of his daze while surveying his surroundings. He noticed that Rebuke was kneeling next to him in concern, while the rest of his guild mates were scattered in a circle around her.

Rebuke held her hand out down towards where Natsu was sprawled against the ground. "We're in the northern part of Ishgar nearly 400 years ago. This was two years after those Dragons invaded my home village. This was one of the first memories I can recall being with Atlas, and you'll begin to understand why we're here if you guys pay attention," She paused to glance over her shoulder, "Quickly now, or else you guys will miss it."

Natsu reluctantly held out his hand and accepted Rebuke's grasp while she lifted him to his feet.

She then proceeded to help the rest of Natsu's guild mates regain their bearing, while they slowly diverted their attention to the surroundings behind her.

The Fairy Tail mages began to notice that they were scattered in a clearing surrounded by a forest. Multiple hills were weaved throughout the land which decreased in size as the plateau began to level out with the ground. The sound of a rushing waterfall could be heard in the distance, while clouds of mist drifted across the plateau through the mountain range. The scenery was simple yet elegant: enough to remind Natsu of his home in Magnolia Town.

"I better not need Archenemy… I think I forgot it back at your house." Kagura was the first to gruff while she dusted blades of grass off her blazer. Her hands continued to scour her waist in search for her sword's scabbard.

Rebuke shook her head and smiled. "We won't be here for long anyways, but you guys need to see this if Natsu ever want to get his Dragon Slayer Magic back."

Her reasoning served as enough for Kagura to stop speaking in order to concentrate at the problem at hand.

Before anyone could question why Rebuke had brought them there, a deep voice boomed from across the field which caused the Fairy Tail mages to shiver in fear.

"That's it, Rebuke! NOW GAIN SOME DISTANCE AND FINISH IT OFF!" A monstrous voice boomed over the plateau towards a massive hill littered with craters.

The mages reluctantly peered towards the voice in front of them and widened their eyes at the sight.

Sayuki covered her mouth in awe and began to slowly step backwards towards Rebuke for safety after realizing the source of the voice. "Is that…?" Sayuki stuttered while gazing upon a massive creature towering across the plateau. Even though the creature's back was facing them, its intimidating appearance was enough to cause Sayuki to cower in fear and recognition.

"A Dragon." Natsu finished for her while he began to lower his guard once he realized where the booming voice was coming from. He still considered Dragons to be friends to him, and unless Rebuke told him otherwise, planned to treat them as such.

Rebuke chuckled while observing the Dragon in the distance. "That's not just any Dragon … He's my father: Atlas Flame." She finished by gesturing to the Dragon 's skeleton like structure set ablaze in a torrent of flames.

For everyone except the Dragon Slayers, this was their first time seeing a Dragon in person. Macao could only clutch his hair in horror at the sight before him, as he never thought he'd live the day where he would be in the presence of a Dragon.

Before anyone else could comment on Atlas Flame's intimidating appearance, a voice responded to the Dragon's command. "I- I think I've got the hang of this!"

" _That voice sounds like a little girl..._ " Natsu's enhanced hearing allowed him to immediately identify that the voice belonged to a young girl who was panting heavily from the amount of craters she created in the hill. Although the rest of the mages could sense that the girl's voice was innocent and lacked maturity, they could tell it was filled with determination.

"No matter how tired you are, push through to the end and don't hold back! Remember, your enemies won't show your mercy, so never let your guard down!" Atlas encouraged the small girl next to him.

"Uh- I'll try my best!" The girl nodded in understanding before using the base of the mountain to propel her body into the air and away from her target. She began to inhale a large amount of air which filled her lungs to the brim. Right as she reached the apex of her jump, she used as much magical potential as she could muster to activate the spell in her mind.

The girl cupped his hands in the shape of a funnel against her mouth which caused a yellow magic circle to form at the end of her hands. _**"Fire Dragon 's Roar!"**_ She yelled throughout the plateau while exhaling.

A massive torrent of golden flames was projected from the girl's mouth, through her hands, and towards the mountain she was instructed to destroy.

The golden flames impacted the mountain without remorse, causing it to shatter. Blistering embers were released from the blast which impacted the base of the mountain. Each one of the countless embers created a massive explosion around the plateau because of the amount of magical potential they contained.

The type of magic the girl used coupled with the color of her flames was enough to reveal her identity to the Fairy Tail mages watching from afar, but all they could do was question the sheer strength the girl had at such a young age.

" _That girl… She looks exactly like how Igneel described Rebuke in that story he told me. That's gotta be her._ " Natsu marveled to himself in awe while he watched the girl finish her spell by landing in front of Atlas Flame.

Even though the younger Rebuke was panting heavily from the spell she activated, she used the rest of her strength to triumphantly straighten her slouched back.

Throughout the entire spell, Natsu could only sense a small fraction of the younger Rebuke's power since they were so far away from her. After watching the girl completely obliterate the mountain in front of her, Natsu began to widen his eyes when he realized in awe at how effortlessly she destroyed it while managing to create craters throughout the plateau.

All of the Fairy Tail mages, except for Natsu, were still too stunned from being able to see a Dragon to realize who the girl was. Before Natsu could comment to himself about the younger Rebuke's power, the Dragon standing behind the girl revealed her identity to the rest of Natsu's guild members.

Atlas flame approached the younger Rebuke's back and laid a comforting claw on her shoulder. "Well done, Rebuke… You've improved so much over the past two years, and you proved to me that it's time I introduce you to everyone else."

"REALLY?!" Rebuke exclaimed while somehow managing to muster the strength to bounce up and down in place.

"Of course," Atlas Flame smiled while witnessing the young girl's enthusiasm, "I think we can agree that you have done more than enough training for the day. Wash up now, prepare for dinner, and I'll introduce you to everyone else once you're ready… It's time we take a side in this damn war," Atlas Flame's voice resounded within the Fairy Tail mages mind's now that his voice had simmered own.

As the two figures began to walk around the craters created by the younger Rebuke, the rest of the Fairy Tail mages were left in awe at the destruction caused by the one spell she managed to activate. " _When I was her age… I remember Igneel telling me not to doubt myself when I had to do that exact same thing, but I didn't think Rebuke would've been able to level that mountain with how little magic potential she seemed to have… But If she's that small and was able to cause that much destruction with only one spell, then I underestimated her strength from being so far away. She's in a league of her own," Natsu paused to chuckled to himself, "And if there's even the smallest chance I get to beat her ass one day, I gotta get my magic back._ "

Just before he could continue thinking to himself, Macao broke the deathly silence between the rest of the group. "I thought I was imagining the first time Atlas Flame spoke to that girl… But did he just call her 'Rebuke…?'" Macao shook his head in disbelief, as he still couldn't comprehend the magical potential of such a young girl.

Rebuke confirmed their suspicion by nodding her head without hesitation. Before the younger Rebuke was out of eyesight, all the mages to darted their gazes between the two humans trying to find any shred of resemblance between them.

The younger Rebuke had long, black hair that cascaded down her back. She was wearing skin tight leggings and a modest t-shirt designed for training. Coincidentally, her attire was finished with a pair of sandals similar to the ones Natsu originally wore before becoming Guild Master. Her skin was soft, clear, and represented her young age.

As the Fairy Tail mages began to divert their gaze back towards Rebuke, there wasn't any resemblance between the two. Rebuke's magical potential completely surpassed her younger self's. Her skin no longer had its youthful human look. Instead, it had a scaly pattern embedded throughout her body giving her the overall appearance of Natsu entering the Dragon Force. Her eyes were no longer soft and warm; they were sharp, angular, and took the resemblance of a Dragon. And then there was Rebuke's hair. Despite it remaining the same length, it was constantly lit ablaze; instead of actual hair, embers of fire protruded from her head and cascaded down her back before dissipating towards her lower body. Aside from her sandals, even Rebuke's training attire was completely different. It now consisted of the one piece bodysuit with dark olive joggers she wore back at the house.

Rebuke's appearance was much more intimidating, and her attire further complemented that. The only addition to her appearance over the years was the blue, tear shaped pendant hanging above her chest.

"I- I can't believe that's really you. It's just that you looked so much more… More…" Sayuki continued eyeing the two humans, trying to find a polite way to finish her thought.

"Human?" Rebuke laughed while finishing the Fire Mage's broken sentence. "I know I look a bit different now, but believe me, you'll understand why once we're done."

A silence fell upon the mages now that Atlas Flame had led the younger Rebuke into the distance. Macao was the first to break the silence by asking the question plaguing his guild mate's, "What is happening to us right now? Are we living in the past?" He spoke with confusion while observing his surroundings.

Rebuke shook her head. "Everything you've experienced up until this point is what I can recall from my memories, and it'll stay this way until we're done. Even though it might seem like it, none of this is real. I'm only letting you experience my past, so we can't be seen or sensed by anyone else," she paused to slowly walk across the large plateau towards where the younger Rebuke had gone with Atlas Flame, "The story picks back up in a couple of minutes, so we've gotta follow Atlas Flame and the younger me before the other guests arrive for dinner."

"Let's get going then!" Natsu declared while beginning to waltz towards the forest in front of Rebuke. Before he could begin leading the group towards where he last saw Atlas Flame disappear with the younger Rebuke into the forest, he felt a sharp tug coming from behind him which prevented him from walking.

"Not so fast, Natsu," Rebuke spoke from behind him while grabbing the back of his cloak's collar, "I've only let you guys speak up until this point to clear up some confusion you might have had about being here. From here on out, my past is going to start ramping up, and it's best if there aren't any more interruptions." Rebuke paused to release her grip and extend her dominant hand outwards in front of the other mages.

"What are you suggesting?" Natsu turned around and cocked his eyebrow.

"Now that you've seen what I'm capable of, I'm going to ask all of you this one last time… Do you trust me…?" She asked while flicking her hand downwards. This caused a golden flame to form in her palm which she wanted everyone to accept.

The four Fairy Tail mages scoured each other's facial features in confusion; they were all unsure what Rebuke meant by the question. After darting their gazes between each other and Rebuke's extended hand, they realized that she wasn't going to continue the journey unless they gave her a response.

Three of them immediately put their hands on top of the golden flame, leaving one outside.

"Macao… Do you trust me…?" Rebuke revealed the name of the mage who hadn't come to a decision yet.

Macao focused his gaze towards the circle of hands lying in front of him and back towards Rebuke. After a few seconds of careful thinking, he closed his eyes, inhaled one last time, and inserted his dominant hand into the Flame of Rebuke and spoke one word. "Yes."

* * *

"Atlas! From the time I've spent serving as a double agent in Alaktasia, I'm the only one who understands how ruthless those Dragons are! They're bred for war, and are forced to enlist in their army from birth! They're trained to do one thing: kill their enemies. They have an army, endless support, unfathomable power… And us?! We have a rundown group of beasts roaming this hell trying to avoid conflict with them." An Elderly Dragon roared to his companion. His body was comprised of dark green scales plating his body: his face was rather wide and had a goatee consisting of a long, white beard draping down from it. Most of the Dragon 's facial features were torn from the brutal conditions in Alaktasia. The stress caused from the years he spent as a double agent had taken its toll on his physique. The dark green scales plating his body were heavily corroded from the relentless training, and parts of his ear along with his other facial features were torn off.

"OI, OLD MAN!" A much younger Dragon responded towards the insult. "That's not cool of you to say! I love this rundown group of beasts, and I for one think we're super rad!" His laid back personality caused many of the other Dragons of the group to groan in annoyance. This Dragon 's body resembled that of a blue Amphibian with a tail. A white fin encircled his neck with a top mounted dorsal fin protruding from the top of his neck. The fin led down his spine and up until the point his tail split into two; unlike the rest of the Dragons, this one was unique in the fact it didn't have wings. The fin around his neck gave him the appearance of an amphibious water salamander.

"It doesn't matter what the hell you think we are, Aqua Regia." The Elder Dragon spoke the name of the younger one, "Because it's only a matter of time before those Dragons in Alaktasia invade Ishgar to feast on humanity, and once they find out we've been supporting the survival of humans, we'll be the first ones on their kill list! They won't leave a single living being alive who supports their race, and there's no way our group is going to chance against what they're capable of! This conversation should have never come up," The Elder Dragon muttered while beginning to calm himself slightly before diverting his attention towards Atlas Flame, "I've known you for quite some time Atlas, but we can't keep protecting humans without endangering them at the same time. This is much greater than a silly girl's village being destroyed!"

As the conversation continued to grow tense and uneasy from the Elder Dragon expressing his opinion, none of the Dragons noticed a small girl approach from behind Atlas Flame. The girl confidently marched in front of the Fire Dragon, planted herself in the center of the circle, and snapped at the Elder Dragon while narrowing her gaze towards him after hearing him insult her village. "Who do you think you're calling 'silly?' That 'silly girl' has nothing to lose by helping you fight against the other Dragons. I mean, they already want to kill us for food! My family is already dead, and all l I want to do is show the world that Dragons and humans can live together without having to fear each other! Why can't you let me do that?!" She stomped her foot in frustration while pitching a fit.

Most of the Dragons immediately gasped when they realized that a human was talking to them. Many of them began to dart their gazes between one another from the sudden turn of events.

The only Dragons who were not taken by surprise from the adolescent girl's bold statement were Aqua Regia and the Elder Dragon. After a few moments passed, the Dragons began to realize the girl from the close proximity she was from Atlas Flame, and before Aqua Regia could introduce himself with his overly relaxed nature, the Elder Dragon lowly growled at the girl's lack of respect and lowered himself to her eye level. The Elder Dragon glared into the girl's black eyes and examined her closely for even the slightest bit of self-doubt or second thought from how she had spoken to the group of Dragons. "So you're this 'Rebuke' that Atlas keeps bringing up around us lately," he paused to further examine Rebuke for the slightest bit of hesitation, "The Dragon King Festival is not merely about avenging your village. What about the rest of humanity? We will essentially be dragging them into a war, and you would be perfectly fine with that?"

"We're already in a war!" Rebuke retorted while clenching her fists. "Humans are being killed every day for food! And joining a war isn't going to make that any worse than it already is. We have nothing to lose at this point!"

The Elder Dragon once again growled at Rebuke's persona and began to grow defensive of his fellow Dragons. "I will credit you with the fact that Humanity might not have anything to lose, but us Dragons have everything to lose! Throughout history, there have been multiple levels of hierarchy throughout Earthland. There are Gods, Devils, but above all… We are the Dragons! Humans have always been at the bottom of this hierarchy! By helping your race, we will be on the kill list along with the rest of Humanity for breaking Dragon Law! That is the real issue here. We will both be dragging each other down… And for what?!"

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Atlas roared while defending Rebuke. "Why else would we all be here today?!"

"Atlas… I want to help humans just as much as you do… But I'm worried about the rest of us as well," The Elder Dragon paused to look at his companions, "The Dragon King Festival is already at its peak tensions, and even if helping humans by defending them is the right thing to do, that'll mean nothing if we're all slaughtered by tomorrow!"

"Who said anything about us needing to defend them…?" Atlas smirked with confidence. He looked down towards in order to signal Rebuke who was looking over her shoulder right back at him.

With that, Rebuke hurled her body above the Dragons from the middle of the circle and cupped her hands towards her face in the shape of a trumpeter. She inhaled deeply until her lungs were filled with air. Right as Rebuke reached the apex of her breath, she activated the spell in her mind. " _ **Fire Dragon 's Roar!**_ " The adolescent girl roared over the circle of Dragons. The spell caused a torrent of golden flames to erupt from her hands and into the evening horizon.

Most of the Dragons immediately gasped alongside the Elder Dragon upon witnessing the spiraling vortex flickering throughout the darkening sky.

All of them were able to conclude the type of magic Rebuke was capable of utilizing from the technique she used, but the only Dragon who was capable of responding to the activated spell was Aqua Regia. The amphibious Dragon straightened his back and broke the deathly silence between his fellow Dragons. "Yo… Rebuke…? If you ask me, I think it's super cool that you were able to use one of our spells." He finished by flashing a grin towards Rebuke.

Rebuke giggled at the Dragon 's support and awkwardly responded. "Thank you… Err… Aqua Regia?" She questioned if she overheard Dragon 's name correctly.

Aqua Regia confidently smiled towards her and responded. "You've got it. I'm the Water Dragon." He finally revealed his identity to the girl.

"Ahhhhh… So that's why you like to use the word 'cool.'"

Before any of the more serious Dragons could interrupt Aqua Regia and criticize the controversial act of praising a human who could use their magic, Atlas rose up and spoke to everyone with authority in his voice. "Everyone, please listen to me before all hell breaks loose, we all know what the Dragon King Festival is about; by Dragon law, it is illegal to coexist with humans, since they have been our food source for as long as we can remember. But no matter how much we can fool one another, things are never going to change with how the future generation of Dragons view them. It does not matter how much WE respect and admire their race, because it simply is not enough at this point. This Dragon King Festival has been between us Dragons fighting for the rights of humans, and up until this point, they've never had a say in it-

"Not like we could!" Rebuke interrupted Atlas Flame by huffing, "We're already defenseless."

Atlas Flame chuckled at Rebuke's antics before continuing. "Exactly. Things can't get any worse for humans then they are right now. And that's why I think it's time to let humans join this Dragon King Festival and get the chance to fight for themselves!" Atlas paused to view the Elder. "Father, I understand your concerns. Up until this point, no one has grown skeptical that our group in particular has been coinciding with humans. For that reason alone, we have managed to stay out of the Dragon King Festival… But if you truly respect and value the lives of humans, you would be willing to join the cause and teach them how to fight for themselves," Atlas Flame then paused to sigh towards the rest of his comrades, "Because… If we don't… Then humans will truly have no way of defending themselves once the Dragons in Alaktasia invade. At that point, can we even say we supported humans at all?"

A deathly silence loomed across the group of Dragons as all eyes fell upon the Elder Dragon: awaiting his response.

Up until that point, the Elder Dragon was quite convinced with Atlas Flame's argument. However, there was one concern that was still plaguing his mind. "And what will happen if we fail? What will happen if not enough humans have the courage or motivation to join the fight? What happens if everyone finds out we betrayed Dragon Law and we lose the Dragon King Festival?"

"Then for once, we would finally accept what it's like to be in their position. You said it yourself; the Dragons in Alaktasia are coming to kill the humans anyways… And I know you of all Dragons isn't going to sit by and watch that happen. Our time together starts now."

All of the Dragons were moved by Atlas Flame defending Rebuke and the rest of humanity. One of the Dragons straightened his back and slowly began to nod his head. "I have always been open to change, and I must say that Atlas and Aqua Regia have convinced me. We should be more willing to help humans in their time of need. If they are able use our magic like Rebuke can, then I believe we should encourage them to pursue this endeavor. That way, we can finally say we helped defend them from facing those Dragons in Alaktasia!"

As more and more Dragons began to agree with Atlas Flame and Aqua Regia, Rebuke smiled at the mass amount of support she was generating to help humanity defend itself. It was the first time she smiled that sincerely since she was together with her family.

* * *

Over the course of eating, the Dragons became increasingly surprised at the meal being served for dinner. An array of cleanly killed forest creatures was neatly displayed for them to consume.

All the previous tension in the air between them was lifted as they slowly began small talk with each other that was far too complex for Rebuke to understand. The only Dragon who was able to keep her company was Aqua Regia, considering he felt more comfortable speaking to someone younger. The two of them immediately knew that they would enjoy each other's company in the future.

Immediately after finishing their portions of food, the Dragons thanked Atlas Flame for hosting the dinner. "Atlas, might I be the first to say how grateful I am for consuming such cleanly killed prey? I'm still wondering how you were able to hunt without being noticed. After all, it has been getting increasingly difficult to provide for ourselves without drawing attention from other Dragon, so it goes without saying that being able to consume freshly killed prey is becoming a delicacy I enjoy."

"Thank you for the kind words, father, but I shouldn't be the one to thank. The gratitude should be given to Rebuke. She was the one who hunted the food for us, and I merely oversaw her in case I had to intervene. You might not realize it yet, but Rebuke is capable of controlling her magic potential far more than we are able to, so she is able hunt without attracting unnecessary attention."

"How fascinating…" The Elder Dragon lowly spoke while kneeling to Rebuke's level. "The Dragon Slayer Magic you possess might not rival ours in terms of strength, but you already have remarkable control over it. I can see that Atlas has taught you well. I can only imagine how powerful you can become with the training ahead of you," The Elder Dragon debated on continuing with his next statement, but realized that Rebuke needed to understand the one unique trait that set her apart from an ordinary Dragon's magic, "After all, I think we can all agree your capabilities extend past an average Fire Dragon. As a **Fire Dragon Slayer** , you have the power to yield the Flames of Emotion in its most powerful form: hence why they are golden. The Flames of Emotion stem from a wizard being able to manifest a 'living flame' that incorporates all aspects of emotions. Whether it be because of emotional pain or persistence, emotions such as these allow you to tap into a seemingly unending reservoir. Unlike ordinary flames that are produced by magic, emotional flames possess a level of potential that makes them a living, breathing force of nature, not easily dowsed in comparison to their weaker flame counterparts in a traditional sense as long as the user has a motive."

Atlas Flame nodded his head in agreement. "You are correct, father. She can be stubborn at times, but that very nature is what is capable of turning her into an unstoppable force. I have assumed her golden flames are an attribute to mastery of this technique."

The Elder Dragon nodded his head in response.

Rebuke gushed at the compliments she was receiving. "Aww, thanks. I've been trying my hardest, especially since I wanted to prove to you guys that it's okay for a human like me to learn Dragon Slayer Magic."

The Elder Dragon nodded in understanding while calming the young girl down. "Don't get carried away just yet. Remember, by Dragon Law, it is forbidden for Dragons to interact with humans. We are all still reluctant to teach you the very magic us Dragons used to hunt your race down since the beginning of Earthland, and this does not even take into consideration us needing to teach other humans. Just because we accept you as our comrade as well as us learning to accept other humans doesn't mean other Dragons will. "

Before the Elder Dragon could continue speaking, he was interrupted by one of his comrades. "Oh, hush father. Stop trying to scare the poor girl with what she already knows. "A feminine Dragon sighed defensively while smiling towards Rebuke.

Rebuke returned the smile while the Elder Dragon sighed at the voice that interrupted him. "I was just repeating what is best for her to know for the future… If you allowed me to continue, I was planning on introducing her to everyone else." He gritted his teeth at the feminine Dragon

"Sorry that it didn't sound like it at the time." The feminine Dragon sarcastically apologized before allowing the Elder Dragon to continue speaking towards Rebuke.

"As I was about to say, you can already tell by looking at us, but you need to understand that we do not have many Dragons supporting our side. In terms of having numbers to fight against the Dragons who will invade from Alaktasia, we are at a complete disadvantage. This doesn't even include the Dragons already feasting on humans on the west side of Ishgar, some of whom you met the night your village was destroyed. We might have more experience when it comes to fighting since we've been alive a lot longer than the Dragons in Alaktasia and the west side of Ishgar, but the 8 of us- I mean 9 of us don't stand much of a chance on our own." The Elder Dragon had to correct himself in order to account for Rebuke.

Rebuke took a moment to recount, and realized she only counted 8 Dragons along with herself. "Uhm… I think you counted wrong… You were right the first time… There's only 8 of us here if you include me: not 9." She paused to double check.

"Ah, not to worry. One of our comrades had notified us before we met with the rest of our comrades, and he stated that he would not be able to make it tonight. However, I feel as though you will make good acquaintances with him considering how close your relationship is with Atlas Flame."

"Hiimpphhh…" Atlas Flame snorted at being called "close" to Rebuke.

Atlas Flame's sarcastic remark went unnoticed by everyone while the Elder Dragon spoke again. "Rebuke, I know some of this might feel scary, but we just wanted you to know the disadvantage we are at right now with our lack of numbers. Until we get enough human supporters to learn our magic in order to defend against the other Dragons, that's the way it will have to be."

Atlas Flame nodded in agreement before diverting his attention towards Rebuke. "Remember, Rebuke. Even if we tell humans to support our side, there are still going to humans who resent you for socializing with Dragons. Some humans are just like Dragons; they don't believe that the two races can live together in peace… They might even go as far as try to kill you or any other humans who try to aid us in defending humanity."

The feminine Dragon from before growled while glaring between the Elder Dragon and Atlas Flame. "That's enough from both of you. You don't have to act so blunt with what you say to the poor girl; I'm pretty sure she understands the situation we're in right now, since we've both agreed to help each throughout the Dragon King Festival."

"I suppose," The Elder Dragon snorted in response. He then diverted his attention to the first Dragon who supported Rebuke learning Dragon Slayer Magic. "Since you're the most selfless Dragon of us all who is also open to change, why don't you be the first one to introduce yourself to out new comrade?"

The first Dragon to support Rebuke before dinner was started was massive. His body was colored a pure white while two small antlers protruded from the top of his head. His body was primarily composed of a series of windswept feathers which gave him the overall appearance of a holy being. The only part of his body covered with scales was his spine running down his back. The Dragon plastered a warm smile on his face and opened his eyes wider in order to remove the resting intimidating glare he sported. "Hello, young comrade. My name is Weisslogia, and I am known as The White Dragon. I assume you already recognize me from when I sided with Atlas Flame's argument about allowing you to defend yourself with our magic."

Rebuke beamed back at the white Dragon. "I totally remember you from before dinner. Thanks for actually standing up for me."

After the two exchanged kind words between each other, the Dragon resting beside Weisslogia approached Rebuke and began to speak. "Now that you've met Weisslogia, I suppose I should be the next one to introduce myself, since you could call me his other half… My name is Skiadrum, and I am known as The Shadow Dragon. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, and I hope you're able to help our comrades in the Dragon King Festival so we can do whatever is necessary to win. "

Rebuke could easily tell what Skiadrum meant by being Weisslogia's "other half." The only physical resemblance the two Dragons shared between each other was their size; even their personalities contrasted. Skiadrum was covered with pitch black scales plating his body, while a constant stream of shadows was emitted from him. Two sharp horns protruded from his head while a small beard of shadows flickered across his chin. Skiadrum had no visible pupils. Instead, his eyes were a deep red.

On top of that, Rebuke could sense from Skiadrum's speech that he was much more controversial than Weisslogia's. " _He's willing to do whatever it takes to win against the other Dragons,_ " She shivered to herself in her mind, " _But I can sense he's just as sincere as Weisslogia, and I hope he'll help me throughout the Dragon King Festival."_

The Elder Dragon nodded his head in approval after observing Rebuke interact with Skiadrum. He then directed his attention towards the Dragon sitting directly next to him. "I know I shouldn't be speaking for this next Dragon, but we can agree she is probably the most gentle out of all of us. Over the years I've known her, she doesn't have any hatred towards humans whatsoever, and she seems to be the only one here other than Atlas who defends you."

The feminine Dragon smiled and kneeled down to Rebuke's level from next to the Elder Dragon. "My name's Grandeeney, and I'm known as the Sky Dragon. Don't mind the harsh words the Elder Dragon and Atlas Flame tried to intimidate you with. I promise they're not this scary all the time, and I really hope we become close comrades throughout the Dragon King Festival. If you ever need someone to talk to about anything on your mind, I'd be more than happy to listen to you." Grandeeney sweetly offered with her motherly voice.

The Elder Dragon couldn't help but smile at the affection Grandeeney was showing towards Rebuke. "That would be Grandeeney for you. You should come to learn that she is extremely affectionate and kind," The Elder Dragon then muttered to himself while he diverted his attention to the Dragon next to her, "I suppose that since you met Grandeeney, you also have to meet her counterpart. Just don't expect much from this next one, but you have to meet him because it was bound to happen sooner or later." The Elder Dragon gestured towards the Dragon next to Grandeeney so that Rebuke could follow what he was saying.

The Dragon being gestured towards made himself as uninterested in Rebuke as he could. He snapped her way while tending to the length of his claws. "You heard the old beast, you little runt. I don't want you to be dead weight to us, so I hope Atlas taught your ass that we all carry our own weight around here. I go by one name and one name only, and that's Metalicana to you: The Iron Dragon." The Dragon abruptly revealed his identity.

Rebuke eyed Metalicana's appearance. His head was square shaped which led into his hinged lower jaw. His eyes were black, beady, circular, and had no pupil. He was a gigantic Dragon covered in plates of iron resembling scales, giving him the impression of being covered in a metallic plating of armor. In the more exposed areas of his body, the iron plating disappeared and gave way to cross hatched scales resembling chain mail.

After Rebuke heard Metalicana speak, she cringed at how rude and direct his persona was: especially since they just met. Rebuke returned a childish glare towards Metalicana while the Elder Dragon changed the subject in order to ease the tension. "Metalicana might not be as affectionate as Grandeeney, but he eventually comes around to all his comrades. And judging from the Dragon you talked with at dinner, I can see that you have already made good friends with Aqua Regia."

Aqua Regia was immediately snapped out of his worried trance in order to introduce himself. "Yup! You already know who I am. The Name's Aqua Regia, and I'm known as The Water Dragon. It's cool to meet you Rebuke, and I hope we can have a super cool friendship while we fight in the Dragon King Festival!" Aqua Regia sighed while the tensions once again began to die down.

Rebuke nodded her head and giggled at her knew friend's. After a few seconds, she was interrupted by The Elder Dragon directing his attention back towards the circle. He straightened his slouched back and began to speak in a confident voice. "As for who I am," He paused to notice that all the Dragon had his complete attention: even Metalicana, despite him being completely uninterested in the conversation, "My name is Nakazato, and I am known as the Elder Dragon. I've been the one responsible for the Dragons here forming such a strong comradery between each other, and I take it upon myself to be a double agent in Alaktasia: spying on when they plan to invade Ishgar."

"And we are forever grateful for your guidance, father." Atlas Flame responded while extending his wings to his side.

All of the Dragons followed Atlas Flame's movements and extended their wings to form a massive circle around the group. They interlocked their wings together as a way of expressing how close their comradery was.

Rebuke slowly turned around from the center and marveled at each Dragon's cooperation. All of them had their own unique traits that she found defined their personalities, and they were willing to put their differences aside in order to work together throughout the Dragon Kind Festival. " _There's so many Dragons that I want to learn more about them all…! Even Metalicana..._ " She internally giggled at the Iron Dragon's rude personality.

Before Rebuke could continue thinking to herself, the Elder Dragon spoke once more as the Dragons began to lower their wings. "Now that each one of our comrades have introduced ourselves to you, I hope it serves as enough for you to trust us throughout your training and participation in the Dragon King Fest-"

" **RRRROOOooooaaaaarrrr!** "

The Elder Dragon never got the chance to finish. Before he could, an ear piercing roar was heard across the nighttime sky. Metalicana shook his head and deadpanned at the noise causing many of the other Dragons to reflexively wince. "Oh, no… You've pissed him off." He referred to the roar throughout the area.

"Wuh- What's going on? Where's that noise coming from, and how does it have so much Magic Potential?!" Rebuke stuttered at the surge in Magical Potential closing in on the area.

" **HOW DARE YOU FORGET TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE MIGHT OF THE ONE AND ONLY IGNEEL?!"** The voice roared as a silhouette began to make an appearance into the clearing.

" **Ftlap… Ftalp… Ftlap…** " The rhythmic pulse of the wind made while the silhouette lowered itself to the ground with its wings.

After the dust in the clearing had fully settled from the large amount of wind produced, Rebuke slowly backed away from the center of the circle when she realized the what was causing the surge of Magical Potential.

"Igneel… Please do not overreact to me failing to introduce you. I assumed you were not going to attend today, since you notified us beforehand." The Elder Dragon spoke the name of the Dragon that landed in the center.

Rebuke could hardly bring herself to back up towards where Atlas Flame was eyeing the Dragon that landed. Rebuke noticed that Igneel was a red Dragon that was absolutely massive; not only did he tower above most of the others, but the Magic Potential surging from his body was enough for Rebuke to send shivers down Rebuke's spine.

Igneel's lower body was tinted a light beige. Although a few minor scars littered his body, he was free of any noticeable imperfections. His back has numerous black spikes, reaching down from the back to the end of his tail. Igneel has a triangular head with horns, a pair of large, round eyes with yellow sclera and a sharp horn pointing upwards just above his nose. His teeth were fighting sharp and complemented his claws which were long, sharp, and red. His wings were rather bony and had a frame resembling a bat's with rippled tips.

"Uh- I've heard Atlas Flame bring your name up a couple of times. He said you two used to train and spar together all the time. Your name is Igneel, and you're known as-" Rebuke tried to

" **The King of the Fire Dragons!** " Igneel completed Rebuke's thought for her, "And what do you mean by 'used' to spar? We still see each other all the time," Igneel paused to gesture towards Atlas Flame, "but ever since two years ago, we stopped sparring at his home and instead continued to do so in the volcanic areas I live in. Now that I have met you in person, I can see why he chose to do that. It is because you fear my power, correct? I can sense it by your composure."

"Igneel, I did not want to introduce her to anyone because I had no way of knowing how any of our Comrades would react to her learning the magic we use. This is why I refused to let her meet any other Dragons; it has nothing to do about you intimidating her." Atlas Flame interrupted.

"That is not what I am concerned with. Atlas, we are the best of friends, and you know how fascinated I around them. I always mentioned how I would like to meet her when the time is right, so shouldn't my word be enough for you to know that we could have formed a prior comradery?"

"The time IS right! This is why you get to meet her now! I just wanted to ensure that Rebuke had time to adjust to her newfound powers. Besides, what use would be for me to introduce you to her if she couldn't participate in the Dragon King Festival because of her still learning magic?"

"Mmm… I suppose you are correct," Igneel agreed with his best friend while diverting his attention towards Rebuke, "Rebuke, I wish there was a better time to have met you other than in the middle of the Dragon King Festival, because humans have always fascinated me. That includes you."

"Oh… Thank you, Igneel." Rebuke smiled at Atlas Flame and Igneel resolving their misunderstanding.

"I wasn't finished just yet. You need to understand that your cowardice nature won't get yourself far if you chose to be our comrade throughout the Dragon King Festival. After all, I could sense fear coursing throughout your body from just looking at me. The Dragons in Alaktasia and towards the west side of Ishgar are very powerful: some as powerful as me. Just know that as we go forward from here."

"Igneel's gotta point! I'd listen to him for once, he never admits that!"

Igneel immediately snapped his head towards where Aqua Regia had spoken, which caused many of the Dragons to burst into laughter. " **Gi-hi-hi** … I shouldn't be laughing when I know what Aqua Regia said is completely true."

"LIKE HELL IT IS!" Igneel roared back to Metalicana's statement.

The Elder Dragon swiftly interrupted the bickering between the two Dragon before it could escalate. "As you can see Rebuke, thanks to Igneel's unexpected arrival, these are all of our current comrades we have throughout the Dragon King Festival. We all have our own attributions pertaining to who we are as Dragons, and I hope you come to know them in due time." The Elder Dragon stated while beginning to ponder over his comrades.

Igneel, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum were among the most powerful Dragon he had ever met. He knew that Grandeeney and Atlas Flame were there if Rebuke would ever need someone to talk to for advice; even Metalicana was there if Rebuke would ever need to vent without any judgment, consider how direct The Iron Dragon was at times.

The Elder Dragon then glanced towards the last Dragon he was thinking of, " _And then there's Aqua Regia_ ," As much as he hated to admit it, Aqua Regia was the 'glue' that held together the comradery between the Dragons. He always manages to brighten everyone's day even if all hope seemed to be lost. The Elder Dragon knew that Rebuke would be able to count on him as a close friend in the future. With that, he spoke to her once again in a fatherly tone. "Rebuke, we can all tell that you are fairly confident in your abilities. However, do not underestimate our strength with our individual personalities."

"What do you mean by that?" Rebuke cocked her head in response.

"Take Aqua Regia… Even though he is overly friendly with everyone he meets, he's still incredibly versatile, and he's probably the most clever and agile Dragon of us all. Even Igneel has trouble keeping a lock on him when they spar."

"Awww…. Thanks for the praise, old man. That was really cool of you." Aqua Regia gushed.

Igneel uncomfortably stirred before adding honestly adding to The Elder Dragon's comment. "And as much as I hate to admit it, Aqua Regia's most powerful form is more powerful than any one of our other comrade's."

"'Most powerful form?'" Rebuke questioned.

Atlas Flame nodded from beside her. "I wanted to tell you this only when you got older because of how scary it can be. but now that you're older, I suppose this is the time to tell you," Atlas Flame looked around the room for approval, and continued once he saw his comrades nodding their heads, "Dragons have a form that transcends us into a higher being. Similar to how I taught you about the Dragon Force, if Dragons meet similar conditions, we can achieve a state of unfathomable power. Aqua Regia might be quite the runt on his own; he might be fast, but a good strike will take him down. However… In his most powerful form, he truly becomes the 'ruler of the water…' Of course, that never came as a surprise to any of us considering that is what his name translates into."

"What's the name of this ability… And how do Dragons achieve it…?" Rebuke gaped her mouth in curiosity.

"The ability is called the Dragon Being, and each Dragon achieves it differently. The effects each one of us experiences is different from Dragon to Dragon."

Rebuke was in shock at what Atlas Flame was telling her. "Uh- It's crazy to think you guys can get even more powerful than you are now… But how do you do it…?"

"I think it is best we wait until you're able to witness the Dragon Being firsthand," Atlas Flame smiled, "Some things are best saved until the opportunity arises where you can experience it."

The Elder Dragon nodded his head in agreement with Atlas Flame and decided to take the time to wrap up the conversation, considering the late hours of the night began to loom over them. "As you can see, every Dragon here has their separate qualities about us that aid in our contributions throughout battle and in our comradery. Just because some of us don't have the same amount of Magic Potential as Igneel, we are more than capable of covering each other's weak points. This is why we trust each other with our lives."

"Uh- I wonder if that includes me…" Rebuke managed to stutter beneath her breath; she was certain that the other Dragons failed to overhear her.

The Elder Dragon smiled and diverted his attention towards Atlas Flame now that he had finished speaking. "Atlas? Thank you for inviting us to dinner and going out of your way to prepare such a thoughtful meal. I am glad that we had time to discuss the Dragon King Festival with all of us here, however, the travel l back to Alaktasia will take a while, and it is in our best interest if I leave now if I do not want to attract unnecessary attention due to my absence."

"I fully understand your early departure, father."

"Wait… What do we do until we meet again?" Skiadrum questioned in curiosity.

"What we came to meet for, of course. The Dragon King Festival is rapidly approaching us, and it's only a matter of time until the Dragons in Alaktasia and throughout the west side of Ishgar find out we betrayed Dragon Law by associating with humans. Once Ishgar is at war, we will need as many humans on our side as possible. Start on the east side of Ishgar, where we are already acquainted with towns and villages, and move towards the west. Spread the word that we need humans to learn our magic if it means having a way to defend themselves from the Dragons in Alaktasia and throughout the west. Hell, split up if it means covering as many places as possible. We will plan a time in the future to meet back here in order to discuss how our searches are going." The Elder Dragon concluded.

All of the Dragons nodded in seriousness while glancing at one another. After ensuring that everyone understood their individual tasks, they all took turns saying their respective goodbyes to one another before directing their attention towards Rebuke; after all, she was the reason their comradery could have a purpose.

After speaking to Rebuke about their plans for the future, one by one, each Dragon took off into the endless nighttime sky above the small clearing they ate in.

As the Dragons began to leave Rebuke and Atlas Flame's home in order to set out on their journeys, three Dragons in particular continued to remain behind.

"Well… I guess this means I gotta go now. It's been super cool meeting you, and I really hope we can stay awesome friends once we meet again."

"I really liked hanging out with you also! Thanks for being so nice to me Aqua Regia." Rebuke spoke the name of the Dragon who wanted to personally say goodbye to her.

Without hesitation, The Water Dragon flashed Rebuke a confident smile, turned his back towards her, and bolted out of the clearing at an untraceable speed.

One of the two Dragons remaining approached Rebuke and spoke to her. "I look forward to guiding you throughout the Dragon King Festival with Atlas. You have a lot to learn still, but in my eyes, I feel as though your confidence will serve as a valuable asset to us… Remember to never doubt yourself during your training, no matter how tough times may get. Because everything we have told you today isn't just for your sake, but for Atlas's. You don't realize how much he has risked joining our comradery," Igneel paused to divert his attention to his lifelong friend, "Now that I have met Rebuke, I assume you two will finally allow me to visit?"

"Of course… I have to show her what it's like for me to kick my best friend's ass on his own turf."

" **HAUH- HAUH- HAUH- HAUAH!** " Igneel let loose a hearty laugh. "If anything, you will be the one needing the advantage of your home territory. After all, you have yet to beat me in a spar," The Fire Dragon paused one last time to divert his attention between Rebuke, Atlas Flame and The Elder Dragon, "This is goodbye for now my friends… I can't wait to spar with you and Rebuke next time we meet… Maybe you'll actually have a chance of taking me down with her at your side." Igneel teased Atlas Flame for the last time.

The Two Dragons exchanged confident smirks between each other one last time before Igneel extended his wings to his side. With one powerful thrust, his body was propelled into the nighttime sky away from the clearing.

Rebuke once again smiled at the strong relationship her father figure shared with Igneel. " _He was really scary at first, but he seems to be just as nice as Grandeeney now that I know him… If he's really Atlas's best friend, then I think I'm gonna call him Iggy._ " Rebuke concluded to herself while chuckling at the new nickname she had given Igneel.

The Elder Dragon was the last Dragon still present within the clearing alongside Rebuke and Atlas Flame. He peered towards where Atlas Flame was residing and instructed him accordingly. "I don't expect you two to be spreading the word and encouraging other humans to learn Dragon Slayer Magic. I rather you just focus on the training you've been doing with Rebuke," The Elder Dragon paused to divert his attention towards Rebuke, "As for that question you asked yourself before I mentioned my departure, you are still growing young one, so I will let you figure out if you are our comrade when the time comes."

The Elder Dragon never got the opportunity to observe Rebuke's reaction before Atlas Flame responded. "Thank you again for supporting our cause, father. Now that we can encourage humans to learn our magic to defend themselves, we can actually stand a chance against the invading Dragons throughout the Dragon King Festival."

"Whether I like it or not, it was bound to happen at some point. This is the only way for humanity to survive."

As the Elder Dragon exchanged his final words before taking off into the pitch black sky, Rebuke only thought one thing to herself. " _He could hear me…"_

* * *

Thank you for your time!


End file.
